Draco's Mission
by Beccari Smyth
Summary: Draco is given a new mission by Lord Voldemort which is hoped to bring down Harry Potter. At first Draco is repulsed, but can it be possible for someone's first opinions to change so much? Taking place during The Dealthy Hallows and a preview of 19 years later. Rated M for later content.
1. Chapter 1

Draco & Ginny fanfic-

Draco-

I stood, still and silent, before him as he circled me slowly, like a bird of prey with their next dying meal. I tried not to flinch as he passed close behind my ear, whispering coldly into it.

"You must get close to the girl, Draco," he hissed maliciously. I gulped anxiously.

"Yes, my Lord," I said, my voice rasping in my dry throat.

"Get close to her, and then we can destroy Potter," he hissed, moving back to the high backed chair in front of the fire place in the Malfoy Manor dining room. My eyes darted to one side before I could stop them as I sensed movement in the far corner of the room. Out of the shadows, I saw the great snake, Nagini, emerge and wind herself around his shoulders. He stroked her with one, long, white finger, crooning softly to her in Parseltongue for a moment, before turning his attention back to me.

"Do not look so frightened, Draco!" he sneered tauntingly, his snake-like face looking even more terrifying than usual. I flinched then, unable to stop myself. "From what your… ahem, friends, have told me, you are quite able to work your way into any of the girl's love lives, slithering into their hearts like the poisonous snake I know you are."

"My Lord?" I asked, confused. Sure, it was well known I was a bit of a ladies man, but who of my friends would bandy about such a topic with the Dark Lord?

"Do not deny it, Draco, it is a wondrous gift indeed to be able to work your way into and out of any situation! We can use this to our advantage! You must seduce the Weasley girl, make her fall in love with you and leave Potter. Then we can take advantage of his weakened emotional and therefore mental state, and I shall finally finish what I started all those years ago!" He jumped to his feet again, moving close to me, his face inches from mine as he hissed, "This is what we've been waiting for, I'm sure of it! Do not fail me, Draco." He withdrew back to his chair, resuming his position as before, and motioned with one, spidery hand that I was dismissed.

"Oh, and Draco-" I turned again, flinching inwardly this time. "Send in Rowle. I have a… a bone to pick with him." I nodded, trying to ignore how ominous his last sentence was, and withdrew from the dining room.

Rowle was pacing outside, looking petrified out of his wits. He jumped as he saw me emerge.

"Is he in a bad temper?" he asked desperately, rushing up to me and grabbing my by the collar of my robe. I shoved him off furiously.

"He says you should go in now," I replied coldly, trying to dismiss the awful feeling I felt inside as I looked at the terrified man's face. I knew exactly what would befall Rowle inside the dining room- his only comfort should have been that he was too valuable a Death Eater to the Dark Lord to permanently dispose of.

As I made my way up the wide, stone staircase to my room, I heard Rowle enter the dining room below, and suddenly found myself bolting for my room, where I could at least part way block out the noise of him being tortured- I made it just as I heard the first agonised, tortured, soul wrenching shriek, slamming the door behind me and sliding down it, panting and drenched in a cold sweat from head to toe.

I composed myself fairly quickly- something I'm very good at doing- and collapsed on my bed, reflecting on my new mission. Last year it had been to dispose of Dumbledore. I flinched, remembering just how well last year had gone. And this year, I would have to seduce Harry Potter's little blood traitor girlfriend just to break Potter's stupid Mudblood heart. It made me feel sick to my stomach.

Then I remembered what had happened when I'd failed in killing Dumbledore. I remembered the agonising pain as I was tortured to the brink of insanity, remembered what it felt like to think my mind was slowly being wrenched forcefully from my head, the thoughts of being driven so far into the dark I could never return- and yet always being pulled back, just in time, so that it could begin again afresh a few days later. I don't know how I managed to survive that. I just knew I couldn't do it again. Disgusted, but terrified, I forced my mind to work, to come up with a plan to win the Weasley girl's affections, thus ending Potter once and for all… and slowly, my mind began to formulate a plan…

Ginny-

Harry was stood in my bedroom as I turned to face him and, willing all of my strength not to break down as I knew I might, judging by the fact he was leaving soon to complete whatever mission it was he was doing, I kissed him.

The entire world seemed to stop spinning as he kissed me back, our breathing ragged. One of his hands was in my hair, the other on my waist, holding me close to him- the door banged open, and there stood Ron, Hermione behind him. I jerked away from Harry like I'd been electrocuted.

"Oh, sorry," said Ron, the colour rising in his face as he glared at Harry.

"Well, happy birthday anyway, Harry," I said, turning back to the window and looking out at the marquee being set up for Bill and Fleur's wedding the next day. I heard Ron slam the door, and continued to stare out of the window as I saw Ron storm into the back garden, Harry keeping pace with him and Hermione trotting along timidly behind them. I watched as Ron yelled at Harry, as Harry shouted back, and then saw the relief on Ron's face. I turned away.

Always, no matter where I was, Ron always managed to ruin things for me. I wouldn't see Harry again in God knows how long, and Ron came storming in here and broke it up.

_If you see Harry again at all,_ said the ominous little voice that always seemed present in the back of my head these days.

_Shut up! _I shouted back at it, shaking my head to try and rid myself of these thoughts. Sighing, I threw myself down on my bed, wiping the back of my hand across my cheek as I felt the disturbing wetness of tears there.

Tap… tap… tap… I jumped, looking for the source of the noise, and saw a large eagle owl perched on my window sill. Curiously, I pulled myself up off my bed and wrenched open the window; the eagle owl fluttered inside, landing on my bed and strutting a bit in a way I thought very familiar.

"What do you want?" I asked, not expecting it to respond- it was an owl, after all. Nevertheless, the owl stuck out its left leg, and I beheld a scroll of parchment attached to it. I took the scroll carefully, trying to keep my hand out of the way of the owl's sharp beak. As soon as I'd taken the scroll, the owl fluttered its feathers importantly, and soared off through the open window again. I stared at the scroll in my hand, and then unrolled it cautiously.

I beheld a hand writing I was generally quite unfamiliar with. It was thin, slightly slanted, and neater than any boy's hand writing should be- and the scroll was indeed from a boy. I looked straight at the end of the piece of parchment, then jumped and dropped it quickly onto the floor, moving quickly across to the other side of my small room from it, as though it were about to explode. The scroll was from Draco Malfoy.

After a few minutes had passed with me motionless, staring at the parchment as if it were a poisonous snake, I realised I was being particularly silly. It was a scroll of parchment, for God's sake. What was it going to do to me, I mean really? Turn around and breathe fire at me? I took a step towards the letter, picking it back up, but holding it at arms distance nevertheless.

_Miss G. Weasley,_ it stated in his hand writing at the top. I raised one eyebrow.

_Miss G. Weasley, _

_It is my duty as the new Hogwarts Head boy to inform you of when school recommences and what you shall require for your new year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Therefore, this letter contains your school list._

_Hoping to see you back at Hogwarts this coming September 1__st_

_Sincerely,_

_Mr D. Malfoy._

Rolling my eyes at the fake formalities of the letter, I turned it over to find my new school list underneath it, which I scanned quickly and with little interest.

"Ginny! Ginny, get down here and help with the preparations for tomorrow, this instant!" came the shrill sound of my mother. I sighed and casually threw the letter down onto my bed. Honestly, ever since I'd got home from Hogwarts at the end of the last school year, she'd had the lot of us running around after her, making preparations for the wedding. It had been even worse since Fleur's parents and little sister had turned up the day before yesterday- not that they were expected to help in any way what so ever. In fact, all Fleur's sister, Gabrielle, had done was run around following her sister and getting in the way. Honestly, the sooner this wedding was over, the better, in my opinion.

"GINNY!" shrieked mum. Sighing, I made my way downstairs.

"I'm coming, calm down," I muttered under my breath. If she had me polishing that stupid cutlery by hand again, I would scream.


	2. Chapter 2

Draco-

I sat shivering, alone in my room, save for the moon light pouring through the high window. I'd done as was required of me as Head boy, and sent out the school supplies list- Professor Snape, the new Hogwarts Head master, had said he was too busy to be bothered with such trivialities, and had delegated the monotonous task to me and my eagle owl. Upon my own initiative, I'd sent the Weasley girl an extra note with her school list, something I hoped would break any tensions. Of course, I knew this was a ridiculous notion- had I not given her and her many blood traitor brothers' more grief than could be accounted for over the years? Not that I regretted even a second of it. But perhaps if I had known that one day this would be my delegated task, I might have refrained slightly, not caused her to hate me so much. Still, who could ever have anticipated that the Dark Lord would have returned, and I would have been pressganged into service?

A bang sounded downstairs, causing me to jump. I glanced around my empty room quickly, my heart racing, then stood a though the bed had electrocuted me as I heard footsteps sounding up the stairs and heading for my room.

I held my breath as they grew closer, hoping against hope I might have been left alone- but no. The door swung open, illuminating in the candle light the outline of my father. I blinked once, looking at him as he strode into the middle of my room, setting the candle he had been levitating in front of him on my bedside cabinet.

"Father," I greeted him, inclining my head.

"Draco," he replied, his voice strained. "I have just received word that the Dark Lord has given you a new mission. I do not like it."

"No more do I Father," I replied, sitting back down on the very edge of my bed. "But what can we say against it?" I looked up at him questioningly, hoping that he might have an answer, that I might be spared the humiliation of having to make that girl fall in love with me. His head snapped up in shock.

"We can do nothing, say nothing!" he exclaimed. "Indeed, we shall not! Such an outburst would be… would be intolerable. We remain silent."

"Then why have you come here?" I snapped, my stomach remaining clenched in fear, the cold feeling of dread that never left seeming to penetrate further into my body.

"I-"

"Lucius!" came the cold voice of my mother, sounding anxious. We ignored her; I continued to watch my father as he began to pace back and forth across the worn carpeting.

"I cannot stand the humiliation," he hissed finally, eyes burning as he stared at me. I looked down.

"I understand," I replied. And I did understand- there was no higher humiliation for one such as myself to have a blood traitor such as the Weasley girl fall in love with you. It made my skin crawl, my blood boil. It was repulsive, wrong.

"And yet we can do _nothing_!" Father groaned quietly, putting a hand to his forehead in distress.

"Yes. We can do nothing," I agreed. I was distinctly uninterested in this topic of conversation- it was the same one I had had with Mother when she had learnt of my previous task the year before. She had gone so far as to make the Unbreakable Vow with Snape, meaning he was poking his hooked nose into my business at every turn, trying to find out my plans. It didn't matter in the end though- he still took all of what should have been my glory for himself. I could not fail again.

"You intend to go through with this mission?" question Father, his cold eyes boring into mine, so similar to his own, as I stared straight back.

"Of course," I said, voice hoarse. "I failed last time. I cannot fail again. I must succeed, or it shall mean the death of us all." My father sighed, shook his head once, and departed, taking the candle with him. As the door slammed shut behind him, I heard my mother call to him again, heard him answer. I was left alone again, the moonlight the only source of light streaming into my otherwise pitch dark bedroom.

"Eugh!" I exclaimed throwing myself back down onto my bed, bringing my hands up to my head as I did so, pulling slightly at my hair. If I could have chosen between killing Dumbledore and making Weasley fall in love with me, I'd have taken Dumbledore any day. It would have been much simpler.

Ginny-

"Ginny, have you done the cutlery?" demanded Mum, poking her head round the kitchen door, her hair looking for flyaway than usual.

"Only 50 times," I replied, sighing. I threw another knife down, my hand aching. "I've done all this, can't I just go back upstairs?"

"Ginny! Your brother's wedding is _tomorrow_! Everything must be done, everything must be perfect!" snapped Mum, moving into full view, hands on her hips as she looked at me disbelievingly.

"Everything already is, Mum!" I replied, exasperated. "Everything has been done, re-done, and then done again! If I have to clean this cutlery one more time I'll-"

"You'll what, exactly? Honestly, you're less help than any of your brothers! To think, I'd been so overjoyed when I had a daughter- someone who'll help around the house, someone who won't want to play Quidditch non-stop, or make explosive toys in her room!"

"Calm down, Mum," I sighed, trying not to smile.

"Oh!" she huffed, puffing herself up alarmingly.

"Why don't I go and help Harry out in the garden with the de-gnoming?" I suggested quickly, not wanted to trigger a tirade. Mum looked at me for a moment as she let herself deflate before agreeing.

"Fine, but be quick about it! I don't want them ruining the marquee!"

It took a good hour or so before we'd managed to get all the gnomes out of the garden. One had crept into a tight corner of the marquee, and had to be lured out with a particularly fat worm before Harry could grab him quickly by the ankles.

After the garden, Mum had me help Hermione sort the out the chairs in the marquee, which Hermione sorted with a quick flick of her wand, much to my relief. It was not long after this that company began arriving- it was Harry's birthday after all, so we were hosting a small garden party.

Half way through the proceedings, when I was chatting to Bill about a particularly angry goblin he had encountered in Egypt, I glanced up and saw Tonks and Remus disappearing out of the gate, and then vanishing from sight as they hit the protective barrier around the house. I watched with growing curiosity as Rufus Scrimgeour arrived, taking Harry, Ron and Hermione into the house, demanding to speak to them somewhere private. It wasn't long after this that the party broke up, and I made my way back up to my room.

I closed the door quietly, resting my forehead upon it as I reflected on the day. It had been one hell of a long day. Sighing, I turned to collapse on my bed, stopping when I saw the school list still sitting on it, staring up at me with Malfoy's signature decorating the bottom of it. I snorted in distaste, picking it up and discarding it. I yawned- only to stop mid-yawn as I saw another note I hadn't noticed before slip out from between the school list and the formal letter. It was written in Malfoy's hand.

_Weasley,_

_I hope you are having a good summer holiday. It'll be good to go back to Hogwarts, don't you think? _

_Sincerely,_

_Malfoy._

I remained staring at the piece of parchment in my hand for another 10 minutes at least, before giving a slight yelp of realisation and letting it fall to the floor in disgust. Who did he think he was? What, so suddenly because he's Head boy he's going to start being nice to me? Disgusting. As if I would ever fall for that rubbish- especially in these times, and especially when everyone knew that Draco Malfoy was a Death Eater and had tried numerous times to murder Dumbledore last year.

A tear welled up in my eye as I remembered the murdered Headmaster, and resented being forced back to Hogwarts this year to be under the command of the Death Eater and previous Headmaster's murderer, Snape. I wiped the tear away with the back of my hand impatiently. You'd have thought being raised around six brothers would have toughened me up a bit.

Shaking my head to clear it, I stepped over the fallen sheet of parchment on the floor, and threw myself on my bed, never having been more grateful for bed time to have arrived.


	3. Chapter 3

Draco-

"We have successfully infiltrated the Ministry?" he questioned, gazing down at Thicknesse from his high seat at the head of the dining room table.

"Yes, my Lord," answered Thicknesse, in a voice he clearly hoped was confident, but which had a slight tremor to it.

We were sat in the dining room, I next to my mother. My mother was seated next to my deranged Aunt, who was gazing at the Dark Lord with such an intense gaze it made one feel embarrassed to be in the room with her. On his other side sat Snape, who was staring blankly down the table at Thicknesse, not seeming to be paying much attention to the goings on.

We had been summoned at the early hour of 4am to the dining room in the manor. The purpose had been to discuss our next move of how we were going to attempt to find Potter. I was aware that none but the most trusted of the Dark Lord's followers knew of my involvement in bringing down Potter, although I was no closer in figuring out how I was going to seduce the blood traitor.

"And will the Ministry be under my control soon?" question the Dark Lord, his voice quiet and cold. I glanced down at Thicknesse and saw him struggle to suppress a shudder at the threatening tone in the Dark Lord's voice.

"Yes, my Lord. We will have successfully brought down Scrimgeour by late this afternoon. Already, several of our spies in the Ministry are working to overcome his protective enchantments and break past the Aurours," replied Thicknesse, his eyes lighting up. It was clear to anyone watching that he was hoping to have some recognition for his work from the Dark Lord. However, when he said nothing, Thicknesse let his head drop, and he returned his petrified stare to the wood work of the dining table beneath him.

"My Lord," said a begging voice from to my left, and I knew immediately that my Aunt Bellatrix was about to volunteer herself to bring Potter to our Lord. "My Lord, I would be glad to help in any way I can, all you need do is ask and I shall bow down before you, I shall succumb to your every wish, I shall do anything you desire of me-" Perhaps it was just me, but Bellatrix's words seemed to have a double meaning. If the Dark Lord noticed this, however, he gave no indication of it.

"Yes, Bella, that will be quite enough. I understand your willingness to be of use to me but-" his voice dropped to barely more than a whisper, one that only those closest to him could hear- I doubted if even my father, who was sat on my other side, could have heard his words. "But I have plans that require your… abilities." The look on Bellatrix's face was once of mixed disappointment and joy. I sneered involuntarily.

"Draco!" said the Dark Lord suddenly, snapping his red eyes up to look at me. I blanched, and shrank back in my chair at the unexpected exclamation.

"My Lord?" I asked, my voice betraying not one hint of my terror.

"You shall accompany the other Death Eaters once the charms keeping the boy hidden from us are broken. I have no doubt that you will be of use." I felt myself go cold, despite being seated by the roaring fire in the great fireplace behind the Dark Lord's chair. My mother let out a slight whimper beside me, and glanced at me, her eyes wide with concern. I did not return her gaze.

"Yes my Lord. As you wish."

Ginny-

"GINNY!" shrieked the incredibly loud voice of my mother. I started awake, turning over too quickly and falling, hitting the floor with a bang. "Ginny, are you up yet? It's gone 8! It's the day of your brother's wedding, why are you not down here helping? Get up!" I heard her storm away from my bedroom door and commence knocking with such force on Fred and George's door that I'm surprised it wasn't wrenched from its hinges.

"Bloody hell," I scowled, pushing myself into a sitting position and leaning against my bed, rubbing my forehead to check if there was a lump from where I'd face planted the floor. I let out a slight sigh of relief that there was not.

"FRED! GEORGE!" I rolled my eyes. Today was going to be such fun, that mad woman running around like a headless chicken and trying to take control of every little detail. Why did Bill's wedding have to take place at The Burrow? If it'd been in France like it had originally been planned, then Mum wouldn't have gone so completely insane, as we wouldn't have arrived until a couple of days before the wedding.

Sighing, I stood up. My bridesmaids dress was hanging on the outside of my wardrobe and seemed to be staring at me in a disgusted way. Or maybe that was just how I was staring at it. I wasn't a big fan of the dress.

Reluctantly I dodged out of my room, commandeering the bathroom before anyone else in the mad house could get it. I'd been in there for all of 30 seconds when someone began banging on the door.

"Hurry up!" they shouted, and I recognised the oh-so-calm tone of my brother Ron.

-O_O-

An hour later I wandered downstairs in search of someone to help zip up the back of the monstrosity I'd been forced to wear. Holding up the bodice, I peered into the kitchen, and, seeing no one, sighed and leant against the door frame.

"Stupid bloody thing," I muttered, pulling slightly at the bodice to make sure it covered me.

"I think you look stunning," someone replied, their breath on the back of my neck. I jumped, spinning around- and came face to face with Harry. I let out yet another sigh, and felt a smile spread across my face.

"Zip me up, will you?" I asked, turned back around and moving my hair so he could get to the zip. He did so quickly, and I glanced back over my shoulder to see him looking at me with a small smile on his face. "What?"

Harry kissed me then, hard and fast, our bodies crushed together as I responded with eager delight. I'd thought since his run in with Ron on his birthday, he might not kiss me again- but here was proof that Harry Potter wasn't afraid of silly little Ronald. My arms snaked up around his neck, holding him to me, as his encircled my waist. The kiss grew more urgent, our breathing coming in quick, short bursts as we clung to each other, it was amazing, intense-

"Morning," came the voice of one of my brothers, and we sprang apart. George was leaning against the side, a mug in his hand, his bandage that was wrapped around his head after he'd had his ear jinxed off looking clean and fresh. I took one look at the smug look on his face, felt myself burning as my own face when red, and turned on my heel and left.

Honestly, between my brothers, I'd be lucky if I ever got past just kissing Harry.


	4. Chapter 4

Draco-

Once again I found myself lying alone in my room, the evening drawing in. I watched the sun moving slowly in the sky without really seeing it, my mind on other things. Again, I watched in the back of my mind as Snape cast the deadly curse, watched as Dumbledore fell, and again I felt the gut wrenching disappointment and shame that I had been unable to cast the spell, I had been unable to simply utter those two simple words; I had failed.

"My Lord! My Lord!"

I was jolted out of my daydream so violently it was as though I'd just been Cruciated. I tumbled onto the floor, hair falling into my face and making me blink slightly in shock.

"MY LORD!" The voice of my Aunt Bellatrix was ringing through the house as the called to the Dark Lord, and I ran a hand through my hair agitatedly as I pushed myself up off the floor. I glanced toward the door, fear now bubbling in the pit of my stomach as I tried to think what had gotten Bella in such a good mood. Edging towards the door cautiously, I put my hand out to open it- the door flew open.

"Holy sh-!" I exclaimed, jumped back and landing on my bed again. My father stood illuminated in the door, his features more eager than I had ever seen them- something had happened. Something the Dark Lord considered good.

"Draco! Come quickly! They have located the boy! They have broken down the security around the house- their house, the Weasley hovel! You can get to the girl! Quickly, Draco, we have little time, we must apparate immediately!" I watched, bemused, as Father threw one last look at me, one of mingled despair and excitement, before turning on his heels and sprinting from the door way- leaving my Aunt Bellatrix standing in his place.

"Come along, Draco" she said, grinning menacingly, a glint in her eye. "We must go immediately, no time to waste." I flinched as she moved closer to me, moving her head so that her mouth was right next to my ear as she whispered, her voice hard and cold- "Do not fail in your mission again, Draco. Do not. The Dark Lord does not forgive. You were lucky last time. How will Mummy and Daddy react if little Draco does not perform his task perfectly and is murdered?" I shoved myself away from her, hatred burning in my eyes as I glared at her. She grinned again, and left the room.

I swallowed, my heart in my throat, restricting my breathing as I gasped, pulling myself onto my feet.

"Draco! Now!" I heard my father call urgently from the grand hall, and I threw myself out of the room, grabbing my wand out of my back pocket as I ran, desperate not to be punished for being slow.

"I'm here!" I gasped, sliding into the hall and nearly slipping into Bella, who glared at me threateningly. I took the hint, and edged myself further away from her. I heard a small hiss from behind me, and spun around to find myself facing the Dark Lord, whose face was eager with excitement and malice. I flinched but didn't move- it was unwise to show any hint of fear in front of the Dark Lord.

"He has been located! We have found- Bella, I told you NO!" His eyes blazed menacingly as he spotted Bella in our ranks, and I heard her let out an audible sigh of resentment for being denied a part in the mission. She moved herself to my mother's side. My mother was looking at me with fear etched into every line of her face. I rolled my eyes, both at Bella's impatient attitude and my mother's ridiculous worrying.

Then I heard the first crack, followed swiftly by five more, and I turned to find that in my momentary lapse of concentration the Dark Lord had finished instructing us and the Death Eaters had started apparating to the Weasley's home.

"Damn!" I cursed under my breath, and was about to turn on the spot when I felt a hand catch my shoulder. I caught the shiver that threatened to betray my fear as I saw the long, pale, spidery hand of the Dark Lord perched on my shoulder. I looked into his cold, red eyes and he smirked- he could sense my fear, I knew it.

"Do not fail me, Draco. You have been given this glorious chance to prove yourself to the girl- do not let it pass you by. Go now." He released my shoulder, and I turned on the spot, focusing solely on my destination.

As I felt the pressure of being squeezed through a rubber tube slow, felt the constricting on my lungs gradually fading, I braced myself; seconds later my feet hit solid ground. I maintained my balance and opened my eyes- I had arrived at the Weasley's house. And panic was surrounding me. I took a deep breath. I had this perfect opportunity- I would not waste it.

Ginny-

The glorious day had faded into a warm summer evening. Bill and Fleur had yet to let go of each other- they'd been clinging to each other ever since they had said "I do". It was sweet, although a bit nauseating- I'd had trouble stomaching my apple pie.

"Ginny!" I turned, spotting Luna wandering absently over to me, wearing a casual smile on her face. She was turning occasionally to the music as she walked, and every so often she gave her arms a wiggle in the air. I smiled, genuinely pleased to see her.

"Hi, Luna," I smiled, giving her a quick hug.

"Are you going to dance?" she inquired, looking at me quizzically.

"Sure," I said, moving with her to the dance floor.

"No, not here," she said suddenly, pulling me over in a different direction.

"Oh, why not?" I asked, puzzled.

"Wrackspurts. Hundreds of them, all congregating over there, above Ronald," she explained, a deadly serious look on her face.

"Oh," I replied, unsure of what to say. Then Luna smiled, the smile lighting up her face.

"Well, let's dance then!" she stated, and began once more to twirl on the spot, waving her arms in the air. I giggled slightly, before rolling my eyes and joining in with her.

It was then that the Patronus of Kingsley Shacklebolt appeared in the middle of the marquee. I watched it, dread building inside of me, as it announced that the Minister was dead- and the Death Eaters were on their way. The Patronus vanished as suddenly as it had appeared, leaving the marquee darker than before. Then the first crack came as someone apparated into the garden- then another, and another, until they were all around us, everywhere. I heard a scream, quickly followed by several others as the guests realised what was going on. I turned to see Harry, Ron and Hermione holding hands and vanishing on the spot before I could get to them- they had gone, I didn't know when I'd see them again.

"Ginny! Ginny!"

I heard my mother shouting from somewhere in the chaos, but I couldn't find her, couldn't see her anywhere- it was just a mass on confused bodies, tumbling from side to side as some engaged in full-on fist fights. I instantly regretted leaving my wand in my room- where would I have put it in this dress?- as I stumbled away from the werewolf, Greyback, who was edging his way over to where I was stood, swiping people down with a single backhand.

Terror gripped me as I tripped over the stupid dress, falling backwards. I threw my hands out to catch myself- but didn't hit the floor. Someone had caught me.

"Leave her, Greyback!" I heard the person shout, and felt another dose of cold terror wash over me. I recognised that cold, posh voice, even knew that the owner of the voice was probably sneering right about now. I wrenched myself away, turning to see Draco Malfoy standing behind me, his eyes cold and empty as he surveyed me.

"Nice dress, Weasley," he said. I didn't move, kept my eyes on his wand. "Calm down, Weasley, it's alright. I'm not going to hurt you."

"Don't give me that shit, Malfoy," I hissed. Around me I could still hear the screams, some of them sounding as though the screamer was in pain. I turned my head, anxious to find my mum, my dad, my brothers. I jolted slightly when I felt a cold hand on my arm, pulling me to one side- a flash of red flew past me, exactly where I'd just been standing.

"Saved you again, Weasley," sneered Malfoy.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, glaring at him. He eyed me up and down, one eyebrow raised.

"Come on! Potter isn't here!" I heard a coarse voice shout behind me, and I turned again, saw a couple of Death Eaters apparate into the now slightly smoky air.

"He isn't going to like this," mumbled one of them, shaking his head as he turned on the spot. I glanced around quickly- more Death Eaters where disappearing. I caught sight of my mum, standing in a huddled group made up of my immediate family members. Near her stood my Great Aunt Muriel, her handbag clutched in her hand- one of the handles had snapped, and Muriel's hair was coming out of the bun it had been so carefully styled into. From this, I could only guess that she'd set upon a Death Eater with only her handbag. Mad old bat.

"I have to go," said Malfoy. I paid him less than no attention as I turned on my heel and began to run over to my family. "I meant it, Weasley!" I stopped, turned back, confused. "You look good in that dress." With that, Malfoy turned on the spot, disappearing into thin air, his disappearance accompanied by the usual crack. I blinked once, confused, then turned back and ran over to my mum.

"Ginny! Oh thank god, I couldn't see you anywhere, I was so worried! None of your brothers could see you, none of them, your father couldn't see you, we were so worried!" she exclaimed, brushing my hair back from my face as she looked at me intently before placing a kiss on both of my cheeks.

"Mum!" I protested. "Mum, really, I'm fine! Not a scratch on me, look!" I pulled her hands away from my face, allowing my dad to swoop in and give me a bone breaking hug.

"Oh Ginny, thank heavens," he murmured as he released me.

"Where're they?" gasped Mum suddenly, and I knew instantly what was coming. "Ron, Harry, Hermione? Where've they gone? Oh God no! Where's my son? Where are they?" Tears were washing down my Mum's pale face as she realised that Harry, Ron and Hermione where not in the garden.

"They've gone, Mum," I said, holding her hand. She gripped it hard, looking at me questioningly.

"Gone? Gone where?"

"They've left. They apparated out of here seconds after the Death Eaters arrived," I explained. "I saw them go." Mum let out a scream of anguish as she fell to her knees, tears streaming relentlessly down her face as she sobbed. I released her hand as Dad bent down beside her, trying to coax her up and back into the house.

"Oh now Molly, really," exclaimed Muriel as she saw Mum on the floor. "Ronald is perfectly capable of looking after himself. Now, will someone get me a chair and a glass of champagne? I'm a hundred and seven, you know! Can't be on my feet too long!"


	5. Chapter 5

Draco-

Screams surrounded me; the floor was thick with blood. I sat hunched in a corner, averting my eyes from the scene of destruction surrounding me as several Death Eaters were struck down dead. Bellatrix watched from behind her master, a mad gleam in her eyes as she observed the chaos. She revelled in such mayhem. My mother sat behind me, eyes squeezed shut, one hand clutching my shoulder with such strength I could feel her long nails stabbing at my skin underneath my robes.

Finally, after what seemed a life time, the shouting stopped. All that could be heard where the terrified sobs of those who had been spared, and the harsh, shallow breathing of the Dark Lord as he tried to catch his breath. I turned to view the mass murder scene before me and gulped quickly as I felt bile rise in my throat.

"Draco!" he snapped suddenly, and I jumped up quickly, ripping myself from my mother's grasp.

"My Lord?" I replied. I stood with my head hung, observing my shoes. My breath came in short, scared gasps.

"What happened?" he questioned, his voice colder than usual. I heard him move across the room towards where Nagini lay curled in front of the fire. I looked up questioningly. "With the girl!" I jumped as he snapped at me, and returned to watching my feet.

"I saved her twice, my Lord," I replied, disgust in my tone.

"Twice, you say?" he said, sounding both relieved and disapproving, as though he couldn't quite bring himself to be pleased with the blood traitor's life being saved, despite her importance to the plan.

"Yes, my Lord. Once from Greyback, another from a curse shot across the marquee by a Death Eater who I did not see," I explained quickly. I heard Greyback growl from his hunched position on the floor. The werewolf had been subjected to the Sectumsempra spell, and was bleeding profusely from one of his arms.

"From Greyback?" The Dark Lord's voice had turned threatening again, and I gulped. "Greyback, is this true?" I heard the werewolf mutter under his breath. "Is this true?" demanded the Dark Lord again, his voice raising ever so slightly.

"Yes, my Lord," growled Greyback, not a trace of fear in his voice.

"You attempted to kill the girl, despite knowing what she meant to this mission?"

"I did not know what she meant to the mission, my Lord."

"Ahh, but of course. Only my most trusted followers were deemed fit to know of my plan. Nevertheless, what have I told you about feasting on young girls when you are not in werewolf form?"

"I am not permitted unless absolutely necessary, my Lord," growled Greyback, his teeth clenched.

"Very good," said the Dark Lord, amusement gleaming in his flame red eyes as he surveyed the wolf, who flinched under his unwavering gaze and shuffled away to a corner, his hand covering the gash on his injured arm. The Dark Lord turned his attention to me, and I instantly dropped my eyes to view my feet again. "I am pleased with you Draco, very pleased. You have done well. You are permitted to leave."

"Thank you, my Lord," I replied, not allowing my astonishment at the praise to colour my otherwise toneless and apathetic tone. I glanced up to see Bella looking miserable at the fact that I had received praise whilst she hadn't even been allowed to accompany us on the mission. I caught her eye and smirked, causing her to glare at me with her heavy, dark eyes, her hand clenching on her wand as she itched to curse me.

I started as my mother put her hand back on my shoulder, moving me away from where I'd been rooted to the spot as I'd smirked at Bella, and I allowed her to lead me from the room. As soon as the heavy double doors swung closed behind us, she threw her arms around me, sobbing on my shoulder.

"Oh Draco, I was so worried!" she sobbed, clutching me as though her life depended on it.

"Mother, I'm fine," I replied, trying and failing to prise her off of me.

"I waited here, so worried for you, as Bellatrix scowled and muttered under her breath, and I heard none of it, I was so anxious for my only son to return!" She wailed, her composure lost as she clung to me.

"Mother!" I snapped, growing impatient. "I am a Death Eater and fully capable of doing anything any of the higher Death Eaters can do. You need not worry about me."

"You are my son, Draco! How can you say I need not worry when you are my only begotten child, my boy?" My mother looked at me with confusion and fury burning in her eyes.

"I must leave you now, Mother. I need to rest; it has been a trying day," I said, pulling myself out of her slackened grasp. She let me go, eyes still brimming with tears.

"Yes, Draco, of course," she murmured, and she turned to leave. She cast one last agonised look over her shoulder before walking calmly off, her back straight, head held high- a regal walk- a Pure Blood walk.

Ginny-

It was subdued in the house that night. No body moved much, no one said anything- we knew we were being watched. Bill and Fleur had opted to stay for longer than they had originally planned, wanting to comfort my parents about the disappearance of Ron. Aunt Muriel had decided the stay the night also, much to much of the family's dismay.

Aunt Muriel was the only one who didn't understand the concept of being quiet. She sat there, commenting loudly on the day's proceedings- "Ginevra, your dress really is too low cut." "You are a very pretty girl, dear, but still… French." "William, you are aware of those hideous scars, aren't you? Quite a mess you've made of yourself dear." "What do you mean your ear was cut off? Now really, George, that is just carelessness; quite stupid of you really." "MOLLY! Quickly, more champagne!" And so on in such a manner until the point where it was deemed polite to leave for bed.

"I'm tired," I mumbled eventually, getting up off of the arm of the chair where I'd been perched for a good couple of hours. "I think I'll go to bed now."

"Of course, Ginny," replied mum, trying to keep a warm smile on her face as she looked at me- but I could see the devastating loss and worry hiding behind her warm composure. She was scared- and rightly so. Ron, Harry and Hermione were out there, God only knew where, alone, and only just of age. I was scared too.

I kissed Mum, Dad and (much to my disgust) Aunt Muriel on the cheeks before heading up to my room, my dress trailing along the floor dejectedly. One of the straps has broken, as had the zip, and my hair was tumbling down out of its previously perfect style. No doubt my makeup looked a mess as well- it was a good thing I was not overly bothered by such trivialities as these. Growing up in a male dominated household had its advantages.

Opening my bedroom door, I beheld the mess scattered across the floor, and began delicately picking my way across the room to my bed, trying not to tread on anything that might have been important. As I sat down, pulling the hair pins out and allowing my hair to fall naturally around my shoulders, I beheld the letter I'd received from Malfoy, and picked it up again, curiosity clouding my brain.

What was going on with Malfoy? First the overly friendly letter, then the saving my life twice and then saying I looked good in the dress? Had he been cursed? I was what he called a Blood traitor, I wasn't to be trusted or befriended by Pure Bloods. I shook my head, dazed and confused, and my thoughts wandered onto Harry.

Where was he now? Was he safe? Were all of them safe? I knew I should have been worried about Ron and Hermione, and I was- but the overwhelming worry for Harry over shadowed every other emotion at that one moment in time, darkening my thoughts and bringing tears to my eyes. I didn't wipe them away; instead I curled up on my side on my bed, allowing the tears to fall however they wanted. It was of no importance to me now. Harry was gone, and I might never see him again. He was mine, I loved him- he was gone.

As I began to drift off into an uneasy slumber, my thoughts returned once more to the illusive Draco Malfoy, and I found myself obsessing over the meaning of his words. It shouldn't have mattered to me- indeed, when I was fully awake and able to think properly, it didn't matter to me. But when I was on the brink of sleep, I couldn't help but wonder if there was a reason to it all, to all his strange behaviour.

That night, Harry and Malfoy both featured in my dreams, circling around me constantly, like I was the prey and they the hunters. And yet I longed for them to swoop down and take me- but neither did. They stayed a distance away, constantly circling, and always shouting at each other. I turned from one to the other, my mind confused and jumbled. Then it went dark, and I saw him coming towards me. I froze. He Who Must Not Be Named, coming slowly closer, observed the scene before him, before raising his wand, a cruel smile on his pure white face- he turned to face Malfoy and uttered the Killing Curse. As I screamed, he turned to Harry, and did the same. I tumbled to my knees, tears flowing relentlessly as I sobbed and screamed, desperate to wake up, but completely unable to. He turned to face me now, and I saw it in his eyes, saw it before he even had a chance to say the words- a jet of green light came flying out of his wand towards me, hitting me square in the chest, and I woke up, shuddering and gasping, still sobbing.

Yes, I thought. I was scared. I was so very scared.


	6. Chapter 6

Draco-

I lay in my bed, allowing no thoughts into my head as I tried to clear my mind. Downstairs I could hear the fire crackling quietly in the drawing room, and I tried to block it out- he was down there, by that fire, no doubt plotting some other way to reach Potter. He didn't think I could do it. He thought I'd mess it up again, and then he would kill us, my mother, my father, myself- maybe even Bellatrix, although I doubted it. She was far too loyal a servant to him to be dispatched of. Still, he was unpredictable and dangerous when he was in his best moods- if I failed him, he would no doubt in in such an awful, terrifying mood that I fear it would be likely that everyone who ever talked to a member of the Malfoy family would be slaughtered in their beds.

I shuddered, pulling the satin quilt higher around myself, as though it could keep the dangers and terror that awaited me outside of my bedroom away from me. A silly, childish thought, I scolded myself, mentally shaking myself. I was not a child to go running and hiding under his quilt when things got a bit scary.

_But this isn't just a bit scary_, said a tiny voice in the back of my head, and I sighed, sitting up. The voice was right. This was completely terrifying. I couldn't do this, and yet I knew I had to. But the Weasley girl was probably in her own bed right now thinking about Potter, dreaming about Potter, wishing for Potter- I sounded jealous, I thought with heart stopping realisation. But that was ridiculous. I hated the Blood Traitor, what did it matter to me if she wanted Potter?

_It does matter. If she doesn't want me, then I won't be able to complete my mission. I'll be killed, _I thought miserably. No matter what train of thought I embarked on, I always reached the same conclusion- everything seemed to be leading up to my death by the hands of the Dark Lord. I shuddered again, cursing my idiotic brain for putting such thoughts into my head when I was supposed to be sleeping. There would be no doubt about exactly how much sleep I would be graced with tonight.

Nevertheless, several hours later I felt my eyes begin to droop, and I fell into a fitful and restless sleep, waking often to nightmares before forgetting them almost instantly when I closed my eyes shut tight again.

I decided against trying for anymore sleep when half past seven dawned, and I rose from my bed, the quilt in tangles from my fitful sleep, a pillow thrown across the room. I picked it back up, replacing it on the bed, before heading to my en suite.

It seemed ridiculous to be bothering with getting ready for the day ahead, to be stripping down naked and washing, when the Dark Lord was situated in the very same house, merely a couple of minutes' walk away from my bedroom door. I tried not to let this thought plague me as I quickly washed and dressed, preparing for a day of whatever He might wish to throw at me. I tried hard also not to noticed the raised, black mark of the skull and snake, burned forever into my left forearm, but my eyes darted regularly to it. If I looked closely, it seemed almost to be moving, like it did when He called us, when it burned painfully, ensnaring all of my senses, blinding me to anything that might come my way until I was beside him and he released his burning power…

"Draco!" The worried voice of my mother rang out from just outside the en suite door. I sighed. My solitary time was up. It was time to go and play host to the Death Eaters and our deranged master.

Ginny-

Just partaking in breakfast in our house is usually dangerous- the amount of people all squeezed into the small kitchen, surrounding the table whilst Mum tried to fill all our plates, as well as her own, with food, meant that several people ended up being elbowed in the ribs, or had their feet trodden on- it was normally accidental, unless Fred and George were in very rare bad moods, and then we were all subjected to the troublesome twins prods and pokes at we attempted to eat our bacon.

They seemed to be in bad moods this morning, and I appeared to be on the receiving end of a lot of their annoying prods as I tried hurriedly to finish three slices of buttered toast Mum had slid onto a plate and passed to me when I'd entered the kitchen.

Everyone was trying to act normal, but you could see on their faces, Mum and Dad's especially, that they were worried sick about Harry, Ron and Hermione. I swallowed my toast quickly, downed some juice, and squeezed my way out of the kitchen as quickly as possible.

Lying back on my bed, I thought back to my dream the previous night, and felt myself flush violently red. What was going through my head? I hated Malfoy. I still _do_ hate Malfoy. He's nothing but a slimy git, everyone knew that. How dare he invade my half-conscious thoughts and my dreams?

Of course, I knew why he had been in my head anyway. He had, there was no doubt about it, saved my life the previous day. Anyone was bound to think about that for a while, as well as about their saviour. But _why_ had Malfoy saved me? Why had he bothered? I was of no importance to him, and vice versa.

I recalled how I had wanted him, as well as Harry, to take me in my dream last night and shuddered. Malfoy? I wouldn't touch him with a 50 foot barge pole. I was ashamed that my unconscious mind had betrayed me in such a vile way. If I had to dream about anyone, couldn't I have a nice dream about Harry, where we could be together, without any Dark Lord, without any war, without any damn complications of any kind?

I stared out of the window at the still erect marquee and let my mind wander, let myself daydream, of a world where everything was simple. Harry and I were together, and Ron didn't mind, didn't barge in at every moment when things were looking promising… A world where George still had his ear, where Percy, however obnoxious and stupid he was, was still talking to the family, and Dumbledore still alive, and Harry's family, James, Lily, Sirius, everyone was ok….

I longed for a world where everything was normal, and He had never risen to power, never existed. I longed for a normal world.

"Ginny? Ginny, darling, come down for lunch," called Mum anxiously up the stairs.

I started, looking around. I'd been staring out of the window all morning without realising.

"Coming, mum," I called back, a crack in my voice from lack of use.

I rubbed a hand absentmindedly across my face and found tears streaming relentlessly. How long had I been crying for? I wiped away the rest of my tears, and pulled myself up out of my sitting position, stretching my stiff muscles and swinging my hair out of my face.

"Ginny?" called Mum again, sounding more worried than before.

"I'm coming, Mum," I replied again, sighing. I understood her fear, and knew she'd be keeping even closer an eye on myself and my brothers from now on, making sure none of the rest of us went missing like Ron, Harry and Hermione.

"Harry…" I whispered to myself, another stray tear falling. "Oh Harry, please be alright."


	7. Chapter 7

Draco-

"You must look after yourself this term, Draco," murmured my mother as she watched the House Elf packing my truck place a large Potions book in there.

"Yes, Mother," I replied absentmindedly. I was watching the Elf as well, although not paying much attention. My mind was wandering in all kinds of directions, and I seemed unable to keep it in one place.

"Darling?"

I jumped as my mother placed a hand on my shoulder. I could feel her ice cold skin through my shirt, and shrugged her off without realising.

Tomorrow I was going back to Hogwarts, that pathetic excuse for a school. How I wished Mother had agreed with Father and let me go to Durmstrang. Still, at least we no longer had the Mudblood loving old fool Dumbledore as Headmaster. Hopefully things would be better under Snape's control, although I doubted it.

I'd been told that the Carrows would be taking over Defence Against the Dark Arts and Muggle Studies next year. I suppose it was necessary, what with Snape becoming Headmaster and the old Muggle Studies teacher being eaten by Nagini. I winced slightly at the memory.

"Draco? Darling, are you alright?" Concern vibrated in my mother's voice as she once again took hold of my shoulder in a vice like grip.

"Yes, Mother," I repeated, unable to move from her this time.

"Barley is finished packing Master Draco's things!" piped up the small elf, gazing up at us fearfully with its large, mud coloured eyes.

"Very well. Leave now," commanded Mother, concern no longer ringing in her voice. Instead she had turned cold, uncaring, as she commanded the ugly creature from our presence.

The Elf hastened out of the room, dodging a slap from my mother as it failed to leave quickly enough.

"Get a move on, Elf!" snapped Mother, glaring at it.

As the Elf retreated with shocking speed from my room, Mother turned to face me again, and her eyes were once again clouded with concern for me. I bite the inside of my cheek to stop myself snapping at her for being ridiculous. She placed her hands on my shoulders and looked at me, and I saw her eyes tear up.

"Mother, I shall be fine. I promise I will look after myself and stay out of trouble," I said, trying desperately to keep the annoyance out of my voice for fear of upsetting her further.

"Mind out for the Carrows, darling. I know they're part of your father's group and spend time at the Manor with some of the others, but they are still Death Eaters, and particularly foul ones at that."

Although my mother had to pretend to get along with the Death Eaters and act as normal as possible, I knew she detested this life style, and I knew she wanted to escape from it. No such chance, with both Father and me involved. Instead, Mother spoke in hushed tones when she wished to discuss her discomfort at playing host to the Death Eaters.

"Narcissa," shouted my Father suddenly from downstairs, making her start and turn towards my bedroom door. I knew she was worrying that he had heard her talking about the Carrows, despite the fact that she was upstairs and he downstairs.

"Narcissa, darling, could you come downstairs for a moment? Your- ahem- sister is looking for you. She says she won't wander all over the Manor searching for you like a House Elf-"

"Cissy! Downstairs, if you please! I have no time to listen to the drivel spilling from your husband's mouth! Downstairs!"

Bellatrix's voice cut in, and I saw my mother flinch as though she had been struck across the face.

"Coming, Lucius, Bella," my mother replied, her voice masking the worry that showed on her pale face. "Darling-" she turned now to me- "Darling, I won't be able to see you off on the Express tomorrow. I am afraid I shall be otherwise engaged. Therefore I must bid you goodbye now. Remember our talk- please look after yourself." She hugged me quickly, and I hugged her back, trying not to seem resentful at her over protectiveness.

"I will look after myself, Mother. I promise," I replied through gritted teeth, and I stepped back from her.

She dropped her arms and looked at me with watery eyes, before sweeping gracefully from the room without a backwards glance. I looked after her for a moment, then turned back to my room, now extremely neat, as everything had been packed into the large Hogwarts trunk at the bottom of my bed.

My owl sat perched on top of my wardrobe, fluttering its wings every so often and clicking its beak as though impatient to be off. I understood how it felt- I too longed to be away from the Manor, away from the constant presence of the Dark Lord. Although I dreaded returning back to Hogwarts, where I would be under the control of one of His favourite Death Eaters, I knew it would be better than the constant choking fear I felt here.

As I got changed out of my clothes and made myself ready for bed, I could hear the voices of my mother, father and Bellatrix being carried up to my room from downstairs. It sounded as though they were arguing, although this was not a new concept in this place. Bellatrix frequently got into arguments with my parents, either about their dedication to the Dark Lord, or to how they were raising me.

I lay down, pulling my quilt up under my chin, and turned to my side, keeping my face pointed towards the door so I could watch for anyone entering my room. It was a silly fear, but one I felt was justified in the present circumstances inside the Manor.

As I drifted off to sleep, my only comforting thought was that at least when I was at Hogwarts I could carry out my mission with more ease than I could when I were at the Manor.

Ginny-

If Mum hadn't come barging into my room at some point over the next couple of days leading up to the return to Hogwarts, my trunk would have remained unpacked, and my school supplies thrown absentmindedly around my small room.

As it was, she had appeared regularly in my room every half an hour or so to check that I was doing what I'd been told- at least, that was her excuse. We all knew she was paranoid about another of her children going missing, and was therefore keeping an even closer watch on us than she ever had done before. In fact, she had gone as far as to suggest I be pulled out of Hogwarts and never allowed to return. This suggestion was met by uproar from me, Dad and Charlie, the only brother who had chosen to remain at The Burrow for a while.

She was, however, particularly worried about the twins, who, as she mumbled distractedly to herself under her breath, were "not at all bothered by the whole You-Know-Who business" and were "Far too busy playing with their inventions". Mum felt that if Fred and George didn't close up their joke shop in Diagon Alley and come back to live with her then they would be "murdered in their sleep for their offensive pranks and jokes!"

I, however, was preoccupied with other thoughts, thoughts unconcerned with my twin brothers' wellbeing, as I knew they would be able to look after themselves. No, I was worried about Harry, Ron and Hermione. I knew Mum was as well, but she had stopped talking about them, as every time she did it made her break down into terrified sobs.

The ghoul had moved out of the attic and into Ron's room. He seemed happy enough in there- and I had to admit, the ginger thing covered in pulsating boils did look surprisingly like my dear, interruption prone older brother.

To my knowledge, Dad and the twins had helped Ron to transform the ghoul into its current state, but mum was otherwise unaware of Dad's participation, and I knew he wouldn't tell her- he valued his collections of Muggle plugs and batteries too greatly to anger or displease Mum by allowing her to find out he had helped Ron in his plans to leave The Burrow.

But my point is that I was worried about the Golden Trio. I knew that, wherever they were, whatever they were doing, they were in terrible danger, and whenever my thoughts strayed onto this I found that my hands balled into tight fists in an attempt to stop myself from crying any more than I had already done.

I found myself in this predicament when my mum arrived in my room for what must have been the fifth time in one day to check to see how I was getting on with packing my trunk. Worry crossed her tired looking face as she saw me, perched on the window sill, my hands balled into fists and my eyes brimming with unshed tears. I didn't look up as she crossed the room to my side and put her arm around my shoulders.

"It'll be alright, Gin," she whispered, and I heard her voice wobble as she too tried to hold the tears at bay.

"I know," I replied, and with that I shrugged out of her embrace, wiped my eyes, took a deep breath and smiled a weak smile. "Come on then, are you going to help me pack?"

My sudden change of mood seemed to catch Mum off guard, because she looked at me slightly warily for a moment before allowing the mere echo of a smile to spread across her misery aged face.

"I simply came to see if you were almost done packing. I know we didn't get a chance to go along to Diagon Alley this year, and I wanted to make sure the twins sent everything you needed," she said, moving back across to the door.

"They got me everything, Mum," I replied, rolling my eyes and smiling at her. "You don't have to worry so much."

A dark shadow seemed to pass over her face for a mere second, but I thought I must have imagined it, as it was gone when I blinked and looked again.

"Yes, Ginny, I know. I still feel sending you back to Hogwarts is a bad idea, but-"

"You know the new policy, Mum. Every underage Witch or Wizard in England must attend Hogwarts, it's the law now," I said, trying to keep my calm. We'd had this debate at least three times since she'd first bought it up a couple of days after Harry, Ron and Hermione had disappeared.

"I know, Ginny, I know. But you must understand the position I'm in- one child has disappeared, two are risking their lives just so they can produce pranks and jokes for people, one of those same two had his ear hexed off not two months ago, and my youngest child, my only daughter, has to attend a school run by a Death Eater and take lessons taught by Death Eaters! I am only one woman- this stress is enough to ruin three times as many women as me!"

"I know, Mum! I'm not saying I don't appreciate the position you're in, and I'm not trying to undermine the amount of stress that has been placed on you just recently, but we can't disobey the law, especially not when it's been set forth by bloody You-Know-Who and his little Death Eater chums!" I shouted back, my voice steadier than hers had been during her tirade.

She looked at me for a moment, tears brimming in her eyes, and then she crossed the room again and pulled me into a tight hug.

"I love you, Ginny, my little girl," she mumbled as she held me close. I was slightly stooped, as I was a few inches taller than her, but I hugged her just as tightly back.

"I love you too, Mum. It will be alright, you'll see. Everything always works out in the end."

She pulled away then, and smiled again, wiping her eyes on the back of her hand. She didn't say another word as she left my bedroom, closing the door quietly behind her and leaving me on my own again.

I let out a shaky sigh, and sat on the edge of my bed. I knew she didn't believe any more than I did that everything would be ok. I knew she knew more about this than me, and was therefore more inclined to be more terrified, more worried and more high strung than any one of us. I also knew the awful feeling she felt every time she thought about what would happen if she died, and she had never made up with Percy.

We still hadn't heard anything from him. Dad told us he'd seen Percy a couple of times at the Ministry, but Percy never acknowledged Dad, and he told us that Percy was looking pale and drawn.

"He's probably not looking after himself well enough," Mum had fretted when Dad mentioned Percy's seemingly ill appearance. "He's probably too busy running around after those… those... Ministry idiots to take proper care of himself!"

"Now, darling," Dad had tried to comfort her. "He's a grown lad now, he's just turned 22 years old- I'm sure he can manage."

But we didn't know how he was managing. He sent back everything Mum sent him, birthday presents, Christmas presents, Easter eggs- everything. We'd heard nothing from him in ages. Of course, only Mum expected to hear something from him. The rest of us doubted we would ever hear from him again if the war kept up.

But then, Percy always was an arrogant arse.


	8. Chapter 8

Draco-

"There have been, as I am sure you are all aware, some relatively prominent changes to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry this year."

The slippery voice of Severus Snape drifted out across the Great Hall. One glance around was all anyone needed to be able to judge the amount of support Snape had from the students at Hogwarts.

As this thought crossed my mind, I once again glanced up from my empty plate, and swept my eyes over the mass of students congregated in the Great Hall. It was evident from the glares of the Gryffindor, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff students that they all detested Snape with an agonising passion. I smirked.

The students of Slytherin house were gazing up at Snape with rapt attention- save for Crabbe, Goyle and I. I did not care for his petty start of term speech. What did I care if things had changed at Hogwarts? What concern of mine was it that Dumbledore no longer ran the Mudblood infested halls which a vast majority of the Wizarding population so laughably called a school?

Crabbe and Goyle were as usual following my example, and so their heads were bowed towards their empty plates also- although I knew that the only thoughts passing through their dull brains were those of when the food would be served. Disgusting pigs.

"I, Professor Snape, am Headmaster of Hogwarts now. I expect you to abide by my rules, which shall be as though they are law within these walls. Any disobeying them shall be punished in a way which is according to the severity of their crime. I myself shall not be head of punishment here. That obligation falls to our new professors, Professor Carrow of Defence Against the Dark Arts, and Professor Carrow of Muggle Studies."

As Snape droned on, my eye was caught by a flash of blazing red hair, and I turned to see the Weaslette shaking her head in what appeared to be disgusted fury. Her eyes were narrowed, and she was glaring at Snape with such remarkable hatred etched on her face that it hurt just to look at her.

As I was thinking this, she turned suddenly, as though sensing my stare, and met my eyes. I didn't look away, despite the fact that she was looking at me with a watered down version of the glare she had been giving Snape.

"One final notice before I allow you to eat. If anyone should hear anything of the elusive Harry Potter-"

Ginny's head snapped back to look at the front, and I saw an even deeper hatred burning on her face as Snape threatened her beloved Potter.

"- I… require… you to tell me, should anyone hear anything considered to be suspicious. I am aware that many of you, students and staff, present in this Hall at this very moment, are what several people are calling "Potter Supporters". This is incredibly stupid and dangerous. From this moment on, unless it is to relay information of great importance to myself or one of the Carrows, the name of Harry Potter shall not be mentioned in this school.

"You may begin with the feast."

Snape sat down in the chair which had previously been Dumbledore's, and I saw McGonagall, who sat beside him, stiffen and move slightly to her right, further away from him. He did not seem to notice, and instead lifted his goblet and drank, surveying the Hall and all the students that sat before him. As he was looking over the rim of his goblet, his eyes met mine.

The look that passed between us couldn't have been more different to the one that had passed between Weaslette and I. This look was fleeting, and it almost seemed as though there was no recognition in it. I didn't care.

The Hall was subdued. For one of the only times I could remember, save for the memorial of the Diggory boy in my fourth year and the days after Dumbledore's death the previous year, the Hall was virtually silent. No one except the Slytherins had applauded Snape as he finished his speech and sat down.

There was a slight murmur as the students talked in painfully hushed tones, but it was not the murmur that had filled the Hall during my third year, when we had been made to sleep in here due to Black being loose in the castle. That murmur had held excitement as the students discussed theories. This murmur was… cold. There was no other word for it.

Every single student from the other three houses seemed to be hissing furiously to one another about Snape, but not one of them was saying anything loud enough to be caught, and it was only a few small groups of students who spoke at any one time.

The Slytherin table was by far the loudest. Every so often a shout of laughter would rise from one point or another down the table. I was not included in these amusements. I kept myself to myself.

Although I frequently found myself glancing at her, the Weaslette didn't look at me again, and it was in silence that I left the Hall with the other students and headed to the Slytherin common room. I was so wrapped up in my own thoughts that I did not realise that many of the students outside the common room were there because I hadn't told anyone the password yet.

"Draco!" snapped Blaise from behind me, and he jabbed me hard in the back.

I jumped back to my senses and found myself surrounded by a throng of Slytherin students, all looking anxious to get to bed, and annoyed at my having kept them waiting.

"Oh, right," I mumbled, and I walked over to the wall where our common room entrance was concealed. "Parseltongue."

The wall slid open to reveal the common room, and the students began pouring past me into it immediately.

"Thanks, Draco," some said as they passed, and I nodded in acknowledgement.

After what seemed an age, Blaise, Crabbe, Goyle and I finally managed to get into the common room. Crabbe and Goyle turfed some first year students out of our old favourite chairs, and I watched as they scurried away hastily. Their scared faces did not make me smirk- for once, my mind was preoccupied with worries.

"So, Draco," started Blaise once we had all seated ourselves around the fire. I looked up at him inquiringly. "How was your holiday?"

I raised an eyebrow.

"Well, Blaise, as we both know my home is currently playing host to the Death Eaters and the Dark Lord," I answered, keeping my voice low so as not to alert anyone in our common room to the nature of our conversation. "Given the circumstances, it was not one of my better summer holidays. How about yourself? I did not see you around the Manor at all. Did not you deem it fit to show yourself before our master at least once over the past two months?"

"After Potter's escape at the beginning of the summer on his way to the safe house, I did not see a need for it. I was not required when it came to the crashing of the Weasley wedding, which was, to my knowledge, the only other major thing in which I may have been needed, and as I was not, I did not see fit to trouble any of your family with constantly reappearing at the Manor every few days," replied Blaise, resting his chin on his interlinked finger tips which rested on his knees.

"Understandable," I nodded before turned to Crabbe and Goyle. "I take it that, as Blaise wasn't needed, you two were also uncalled for during the summer?"

Both Crabbe and Goyle looked at me dimly. I rolled my eyes and tried again.

"Did either of you get summoned during the summer?" I asked, talking slowly as I addressed them. Blaise let out a snort of laughter, but Crabbe and Goyle didn't seem to catch on that I was being patronising.

"Oh, nahh, didn't get summoned even once, did we, Crabbe?" said Goyle, glancing at Crabbe beside him, who still had his mouth open slightly in a gormless expression.

"Nahh," he grunted, before returned to his previous vacant expression. I rolled my eyes again.

"Hard to believe they made it to seventh year, isn't it?" remarked Blaise in an undertone to me.

"Simply unbelievable, I thought they'd be kicked out after our first year- hardly passed their exams, but I'm still surprised they did," I said in distain. Blaise smirked and let out another snort of laughter before leaning back into his chair and letting himself relax.

I leaned back into my chair as well, and allowed the warmth of the blazing fire to wash over me, obscuring my senses. The blazing red reminded me of her hair…

"Draco!" said Blaise.

I jumped and snapped my head up.

"You were falling asleep mate," explained Blaise as I looked around, startled.

"Oh," I murmured, and I stood up sharply, rubbing my eyes on the backs of my hands. "I guess I'd better be off to bed then."

After bidding them all a quick goodnight and receiving only blank looks from Crabbe and Goyle, I ascended the stairs to the seventh year dormitory- the same dormitory we'd had as last year, except this year it read "Seventh Year Boys" on it, as opposed to "Sixth Year Boys".

Inside was much the same as ever- our trunks lay unopened at the end of our beds, and the four poster beds had elaborately carved serpents weaving around the posts. Deep green hangings hung from these beds, and the covers on each were deep green also, except a slightly lighter shade than the hangings. In one corner sat a small fire which blazed merrily in its minute grate. The only difference was that- because we'd only just got there- our belongings were not strewn haphazardly around the room.

I pulled off my robes, loosening my tie and unbuttoning my shirt, whilst digging in my trunk to find the pyjama bottoms I wore when I slept at the school. At home I never bothered, but at school it seemed improper to sleep only in boxer shorts.

Finally I collapsed into my bed. I breathed in the familiar smell that always hung about our room at Hogwarts- after shave, hair gel and toffee- the latter had only come about during our third year at Hogwarts, thanks to our being allowed to visit Hogsmeade and, as a result, Honeydukes.

I drifted off to sleep alone that night. None of the others appeared in the room until gone 1am, at which point I was deep asleep- comfortably asleep for the first time since I had left Hogwarts at the end of last year.

Ginny-

Mum saw me off from the platform, as usual. Only this time it was different. Dad couldn't come to say goodbye because of work, and instead of Harry, Ron and Hermione being on the train as well, it was only me, Luna and Neville.

We passed a majority of the journey in silence, and arrived at the castle in worse spirits than we ever had before.

Neville, who usually hovered near Harry, Ron and Hermione, sat with me at the Gryffindor table, looking uncomfortable and lost. His eyes were darting from side to side nervously and he was biting his lip every so often. I knew he was worried about what this coming year would bring.

A vast majority of students sat in silence, and when Snape stood up in front of the mass congregated in the Great Hall, rising from the chair which was unrightfully his, which he had snatched from its predecessor merely months ago, he did not need to call in his cold, clear voice for silence- we did not feel like talking merrily of our holidays when so many of them had been tainted by Snape, his master and his companions.

Snape gave to us what I supposed he thought was a motivating and yet also threatening start of term speech. I glared at him, not hearing the words, only seeing the man who had stuck down Albus Dumbledore and severed my older brother's ear from his head.

I paid less than no attention to anything but these details, which swam around my head in a confusing mess, making it hurt. To distract myself from the headache I felt building, I glanced around the Hall once- and my eyes met Draco Malfoy's.

Malfoy was sat with his head rested on his hand, and he was watching me across the Hall with an intensity in his cold grey eyes that made me feel frightened- at least until I got my bearings and remembered it was just Malfoy, the same slimy git who, every year, had tried to make our lives hell- and who, every year, had failed.

I didn't break his stare, merely stared back at him, feeling more confused than I had before when it was just thoughts of Snape's victims swimming in my head.

And then I heard him- Snape's voice broke through my defence barriers, and I heard him say Harry's name. All other thoughts, thoughts of Dumbledore, George and Malfoy's strange behaviour, flew out of my head as though they had never existed, and in that instant I hated Snape more than I ever had before.

How dare he mention Harry's name? How dare he mention it so casually and ask us to "turn Potter in"? Was he really that stupid that he thought any one of the Gryffindor, Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff students would turn Harry in if any one of us saw him?

I glared at him harder than before, furious at him. When he permitted the feast to begin I was unable to move from anger.

"Ginny, come on, it's no big deal- no one is really going to turn Harry in if he's seen, and besides, why would he come anywhere near Hogwarts now?" reasoned Neville. I turned to look at him and he flinched at the look in my eyes, which I sensed must be a burning and yet somehow still dead look.

"I know, Neville. I'm just furious that that… _murderer_ can even find the nerve to say his name, let alone threaten him- and Harry's 10 times the man Snape will ever be," I whispered back, lowering my voice as I said Harry's name. I was in no mood to get in trouble this early in the year- better to leave that for a week or two into the first term, so I'd have time to come up with a plan of how best to infuriate the new Headmaster. There were definitely advantages to having Fred and George as your older brothers.

I didn't eat much that night. Instead I sat in silence, waiting and listening. The conversations around us were mainly very hushed and many students were subdued- except for the Slytherins, who were celebrating the return to the castle as loudly as they normally would. The sounds of their laughter made the Hall sound even more desolate than it already did, and the whispers that could be heard when the Slytherins quietened down for a moment made me feel as though I were deep in the Forbidden Forest and unfriendly creatures were sneaking through the trees, out of sight but menacing all the same.

Eventually Snape allowed us to leave the Hall and move along to our common rooms. I moved sluggishly, feeling tired and nauseous. Neville hung around behind me, following closely like a little lost puppy. I tried to smile at him reassuringly and he smiled nervously back.

On the way to the Gryffindor common room we had to pass past one of the Carrows, the female one, who glared at us menacingly with a sneer playing across her plain, pudgy face. Neville stunned me by staring back at her, his face twisting into a grimace of dislike. Later on I was to realise that this was his first show of defiance towards the new system, and he would only be more defiant from there on in- as it was, I was just stunned that he was showing any sign of emotion towards this Death Eater, seeing as we would all be forced to take lessons with her this coming year.

"What was that about, Neville?" I asked as we reached the common room unnoticed by Alecto.

"I couldn't help it. She's in league with Lestrange. It… it was like a knee jerk reaction, you know?" he said, quoting a Muggle phrase he'd heard Hermione and Harry mention many a time over the past years.

"Yeah," I replied, still bemused by his reaction- although it seemed more understandable now. Neville was hell bent on getting revenge on Bellatrix Lestrange for driving his parents into insanity by use of the Cruciatus Curse, and I knew I would have been if it had been anyone in my family who had been tortured. Whenever Neville thought about it, a dark shadow passed over his face, and he seemed to grit his teeth. I knew, any chance he'd get, he would try and get revenge for his parents who now didn't know who he was. I also knew that this fact, the fact that he was a stranger to his parents, cut him deep every day.

As I lay in my bed that night, the other girls in my dormitory breathing softly, already enveloped in their peaceful dreams, I thought about all the families the Death Eaters had mercilessly ripped apart, and I felt as though my heart could break. So many people, losing parents, children, brothers, sisters… it was almost too much to bear.

These thoughts plagued me until I was almost fast asleep, and then I found my mind drifting once again onto the peculiar behaviour of Malfoy. He'd never shown any emotion towards me except for hatred before, and vice versa. I fell asleep wondering at why he was behaving so strangely, and was relieved when I awoke the next day to find I'd had a restful, dreamless sleep for what felt like the first time in forever.


	9. Chapter 9

Draco-

The first few weeks back at Hogwarts passed uneventfully enough. Perhaps the most trying of lessons had now become Defence Against the Dark Arts, which was taught by Amycus Carrow, and which had us practicing the Cruciatus Curse on first years who'd gotten themselves detentions.

Primarily, I had acted only as my Death Eater nature would allow, performing the curse quickly and efficiently, receiving top marks in my first few lessons- and then I noticed how, outside of class, everyone was acting subdued around me- more so than usual.

"What's gotten into everyone?" I demanded of Blaise as we sat in our usual fireside seats one evening.

It had been a particularly trying day- we'd had double DADA, which meant we were also practicing the Imperious Curse on unruly children in the years below, as well as the usual Cruciatus practice, which was dwindling now that the first years had pulled out all the stops to keep from getting detentions. This was followed by Potions, which was taken once again by Professor Slughorn, who now looked like he was being force fed a Blast-Ended Skrewt every time he had me in his line of vision.

To make matters worse, whenever I saw the Weasley girl in the corridors or the Great Hall, and I attempted at some form of pleasantries with her, she merely glared at me coldly, hatred burning in her brown eyes, before swinging her blazing red hair over her shoulder and turning her back on me. This raised the main implication of how was I meant to get her to fall for me if she hated my guts?

"What do you mean, what's gotten into everyone?" asked Blaise, his eyes darting to my face and back to the flames again before I could even be sure he'd looked at me.

I frowned- was Blaise hiding something from me?

"You know what I mean. Everyone is skirting around me more than usual, even the rest of the Slytherins- even you, Blaise. I don't understand exactly why. I understand, of course, that I am a Death Eater, and therefore a dangerous person, but many of our fellow Slytherins are also under His command, and they still act as though I am a Basilisk waiting to strike," I frowned again, and put my hand up to my forehead- I was beginning to get a headache.

"Well, mate, to be perfectly honest with you-" began Blaise, before stopping and looking concerned.

"Yes?" I snapped. "What?"

"They are scared of you, and you have no one to blame but yourself. The way you perform those Unforgivable Curse in Defence, well, don't get me wrong, it's impressive, but even Crabbe and Goyle show some reluctance when it's younger Slytherin students before our curses- you don't blink no matter who is stood in front of you. Some people-" he paused again.

"What?" I asked, looking at him and feeling, for the first time, concern and regret at how I had been behaving.

"Some people… they're saying you'd Cruciate your own mother if you were told to. They say you'll stop at nothing to get what you want from the Dark Lord, whether it's power or recognition, or both."

My blood ran cold through my veins as I heard him talking.

"My own mother?" I whispered, feeling nauseous. I put my head back in my hands and let out a small groan of exasperation. "How could anyone even suggest that? Who would do such a thing?"

"I know mate, I know," said Blaise quickly. "But it's what they're saying, and you know how susceptible to rumours this school is- do you remember when everyone thought-" he dropped his voice to a mere whispered and hissed "-When everyone thought Potter was the heir of Slytherin?"

I let out a short laugh which caused any Slytherin within hearing range to wince and step backwards as they eyed me warily.

"Don't remind me. It was the most ridiculous rumour ever spread around this pathetic excuse for a school. How could he have done it, anyway? Pathetic Potter and his filthy friends, as if they'd have the brains to pull off such a-" I cut myself off, remembering who actually had opened the Chamber- the Weasley girl. I gulped, feeling my head throb, and sat back into my chair, closing my eyes and groaning again . "They're all idiots here, they'll believe anything."

"That's right, mate," said Blaise, looking at me worriedly. "Don't let it bother you. Maybe you should try and show a bit of emotion in lessons though? It's really rather disturbing to watch."

"Disturbing?" I asked, opening my eyes and raising an eyebrow at him.

"Yeah. Disturbing," he said, his voice firm.

"Fine. It's disturbing. I get it," I rolled my eyes. "Hang on a second, is that why Weaslette has been avoiding me?"

Blaise's hand snapped up and his eyes bore into mine- I'd spoken my thought out loud.

"What?" he demanded quietly.

"What?" I replied, trying to sound confused.

"What did you say?"

"I agreed with you, that my behaviour with the curses has been disturbing-"

"That's not what I meant and you know it, Malfoy!" he snapped, glaring at me.

"Malfoy, hmm? Back to last name terms… Well then, Zabini, I would like to point out that whatever I may or may not have said, may not being the more appropriate term in this situation, is none of your business."

"You know how I despise the blood traitor, she's worse than any of her brothers," grumbled Blaise.

I glanced at him, smirking, as I remembered his intense dislike of Weasley had started the previous year when she had insulted him in Slughorn's train compartment.

"If I find out you have anything to do with that traitor, even if you look at her, I shall tell the Dark Lord, and He shall be most displeased," said Blaise, with an air of triumph about him as he uttered what he assumed was a great threat.

"Alright then. I won't-"

"Good."

"Allow me to finish, Zabini. I won't let you find out."

I jumped up from my armchair, smirked at Blaise, who looked like he'd just been asked to babysit a dozen Blast Ended Skrewts, and marched off to the dormitory, trying to ignore the terrified Slytherin students who scuttled out of my way as I went.

Once again, I found I was the first one to ascend to our Seventh Year dormitory. I barely paused to undress before collapsing face down onto my bed, groaning again. They all thought I was a sadist who would torture his own mother for power from the Dark Lord. Well, if that's what they thought, I'd just have to change it.

Draco Malfoy never conforms to the labels placed upon him.

Ginny-

Dear Mum and Dad-

School is dragging. We've only been here for about a month, but it feels like we've been here forever already.

I can't tell you half of what I would like to in this letter. Our mail is still being monitored. However, I shall be coming home at Christmas, as I'm sure you already suspected. I can't wait to be home again- Hogwarts no longer feels like a second home to me, but more of a prison.

I hope Ron is feeling better, and that George's wound is healing nicely.

Is Muriel still there?

Give my love to everyone.

Love, Ginny xxx

I gave the letter to Ron's owl Pigwidgeon, who he'd given to me before he'd disappeared with Harry and Hermione. He'd said I needed a way to keep in contact with the family whilst I was at Hogwarts, and he said he wouldn't need Pig anymore.

The small owl hooted excitedly and flitted once around the room, tilted to one side from the weight of the parchment, and swooped out of the open window, disappearing into the distance quickly. I watched him leave with a sort of sinking feeling in my stomach- I wanted to be headed back to The Burrow, too.

Sighing, I headed back down to the common room- it was only 7pm, and I knew people would think something was wrong with me and start bugging me if I disappeared to bed this early in the night, and I was trying to avoid too much humanity- if in doing this I had to be present in the common room every night, then so be it.

It was subdued in the Gryffindor common room this year. Most nights, everyone was cleared out and up to their dorms by 10pm, unless they were working on late homework- which only happened if the Carrows set homework. No one dared hand in their homework late- the punishments differed between the skin slicing quills and as far as the Cruciatus and Imperious curses.

Neville sat over in a corner, his head in a book. I headed over to him and, moving Trevor out of the chair besides Neville, plonked myself down. Glancing over at Neville, I could see suddenly that he wasn't actually reading the Herbology book in front of his nose- his eyes were fixed on the page and he was staring blankly, not taking in the words.

"Neville?" I asked tentatively, watching to see if he was paying any attention to his surroundings.

He didn't move. I began to feel worried- he'd been even more quiet than usual, no doubt due to his mysterious disappearance earlier this week. He'd had us all terrified, but had shown up a couple of days later looking perfectly fine, although a little worse for wear.

"Neville!" I said, louder this time, leaning towards him.

Neville jumped and slammed his book shut, glancing around him guiltily as though he'd been caught out doing something forbidden. He blinked as he saw me sitting beside him and settled back into the arm chair, his face relaxing, but the tension still showing in his eyes.

"Hi, Ginny," he said, his voice small.

"Are you alright, Neville?" I asked, concerned.

"What? Oh, yes, I'm fine," he replied, picking Trevor up off the floor and placing him on his lap. "I was just thinking…"

"What?" I asked, not paying too much attention.

"Well, you remember a couple of years ago when Umbridge was out Defence teacher?" he asked, his voice even smaller.

"Course I do, who could forget it?" I ask, letting out a small snort of disgust.

"Well, yeah. I was just thinking- do you remember what Harry did?"

My head snapped up and I looked at Neville intensely.

"Harry?" I asked, my voice suddenly radiating worry and concern for my lost love.

"Yeah. Remember what he did?" asked Neville again, more urgently.

His eyes were burning with determination and trepidation as he looked back at me. I started to shake my head- and them something clicked.

"The DA!" I replied suddenly, memories of our rebel group clouding my mind.

"Exactly. I was thinking, we should start it up again!" blurted Neville in a rush, sounding both excited and terrified. "We could use the old Room of Requirement, and anyone looking for a place to escape for even a couple of minutes could hide there, so long as they're part of the DA! What do you think?"

I stayed silent for a moment, thinking about it all, my mind churning the idea Neville had just put forward. This was the sort of thing I'd expect from one of the more outgoing students, but not from Neville.

Neville was watching me anxiously, excitement still burning in his eyes. I looked back at him, realising why he was doing this.

"This is in rebellion against the Death Eaters, isn't it?" I ask quietly. "You think that, if we do this, we're rebelling against the Carrows, which by default we're rebelling against the Death Eaters, and by that logic… we're rebelling against Bellatrix Lestrange."

I watched as Neville's face went deathly pale at her name and the skin tightened around his eyes as they narrowed. His hatred for the insane Death Eater was so intense it hurt sometimes. I understood his hatred for her- she'd tortured his parents into insanity, after all. I worried though that soon, his thirst for vengeance would get him deeply into trouble- or dead.

"I… It's nothing to do with that, it's just… look, with the school being overrun by Dark magic I just thought it'd be a good idea to show some resistance to it," he muttered, looking down at Trevor as he spoke.

"Neville… I don't know…" I began, and he glanced up at me looking hurt and disappointed.

"Ginny, this is our only chance to keep some form of _our _Hogwarts alive," he whispered.

"Have you spoken to Luna about this?" I asked, knowing that Luna would no doubt want to be involved. Aside from Harry, Ron and Hermione, the three of us had been the most involved in the DA.

"I thought I'd speak to you about it first; see if I could get some Gryffindors on board before I try any of the other houses. I mean, if I can't even persuade people from my own house, what chance have I got of recruiting members of other houses?" Neville was beginning to sound desperate, although he was trying to hide this with his ever decreasing enthusiasm.

"Neville…" Neville looked at me beseechingly, and suddenly I realised that this mad idea of his might be our only chance of making this new Hogwarts bearable. "Alright, Neville. I'm in."

Neville's face lit up, his eyes regained their previous excitement, and a large grin spread across his round face.

"Really, Ginny?" he asked quickly, as though worried I might change my mind.

"Really, Neville," I replied, grinning back at him weakly.

"Wow, great! I'll talk to Luna tomorrow if I get a chance, and then we can start getting people together again!"

"What even made you think of this, Neville?" I asked, feeling sort of in awe of this rebellious idea coming from round face, forgetful Neville Longbottom.

"Well, earlier this week, remember how I disappeared for a day or so?" he asked.

"Course I remember, I was so worried," I said, shuddering.

"Well, I was running from the Carrows- they were angry cause I'd refused to do any detentions they kept dishing out to me, and I ended up outside the Room of Requirement, which appeared for me, so I dashed inside, and there was a hammock in there, so I stayed a day or so until I knew they'd forgotten about me, and then I reappeared," he explained.

I stared at him, amazed. He'd been in the Room of Requirement for those terrifying days, perfectly safe, comfortable and warm?

"While I was in there," he continued, not noticing the shock on my face, "I kept thinking about the DA and how great it felt to be a part of that. I was remembering how well I was doing with magic then, and it made me think- what if we could bring back the DA? I mean, we're still Dumbledore supporters, even if he is gone- and now he has gone, we're all supporting Harry, the whole Wizarding world, cause he's a lot of the wizard's new hope for defeating You Know Who and…"

"Neville!" I said, shaking my head. "Stop, just for a second. I said I was in, and I'm in. But we need to think about how to do this. Right now, I think we both need to get some sleep. I'm going to go to bed, and I'll talk to you tomorrow evening and you can tell me if you've spoken to Luna."

Neville looked slightly disappointed at my abrupt end to the conversation, but I couldn't talk about Harry- it was still too painful, considering I didn't know where he was, if he was ok…

"Alright, Ginny. See you tomorrow then," he said, picking up Trevor and the book he'd been staring at. He gave me a small smile and headed off to his dormitory. I sighed, heaved myself to my feet, and quickly followed Neville's example, heading up to the sixth year girl's dorm.

It looked like life at Hogwarts was about to get a hell of a lot more complicated.

**A/N: I apologise for not updating as much as some people do, I get easily distracted. However, I am on my summer holidays now, and seeing as I have less than no money and there is nothing to do where I live, I hope to update more often.**

**Please leave some reviews, they are very much appreciated :)**

**Love, Beccari**


	10. Chapter 10

Draco-

Over the next couple of months leading up to the Christmas holidays, I attempted to reign in my "disturbing behaviour" in our DADA lessons. Apparently I was doing well, as my fellow Slytherins no longer looked at me with the same terrified expressions on their faces, which had suggested only too well that they expected me to Cruciate any one of them for things such as looking in my direction or standing accidentally in my way. Now, they engaged briefly in conversations with me whenever they deemed it appropriate- for example, greeting me in the morning as I descended from my dormitory, or bidding me goodnight when I headed back up there in the evenings.

Oh, they were still afraid of me, as any student in their right mind should have been- I was now, after all, a known Death Eater, and they knew only too well to whom I was reporting. However, they treated me with the respect my high standing in society deserved- admittedly, although Father was no longer as highly in favour with the Dark Lord as Snape now was, we were still a high standing family who demanded a level of respect that was in correspondence with this standing.

Blaise had become more relaxed around me now I had modified my behaviour. He spent longer in my company, as opposed to disappearing as quickly as possible whenever I approached him. We spent many an afternoon in a secluded corner of the library- him so he could work and I so I could work further on my plans for winning Ginny.

I had heard nothing more from the Dark Lord since my return from school, and had only received a handful of owls from my mother, all saying the same thing- "Please look after yourself, Draco," "Be good and don't give anyone any reason to harm you," "Stay out of trouble, please". They were always rounded off with "Your father and I miss you greatly and look forward to your return to the manor this Christmas".

Of course I had to return to the manor at Christmas- no one in their right minds would stay here this year, what with the school now being under Death Eater (and extremely better, in my opinion) control. It was well known that every single student from the Gryffindor, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff houses were going home as quickly as possible, no doubt wishing they didn't have to return.

In the last two weeks leading up to the holidays, I made sure to try extra hard in winning some kind of approval from Ginny, as difficult as I knew it would be. I frequently made sure she heard me complaining about the new punishment regime at the school to Blaise, Crabbe and Goyle, all of who had looked completely perplexed when first I'd started complaining, but had soon learned to act along once I'd had a stern word with them. Ginny had not, at first, looked at all convinced, and had been giving me looks of the deepest mistrust and hatred from behind her sweeping red hair. These looks, prior to this year, would have amused me greatly, and I would have tried anything to provoke them, as I knew in doing so she would grow furious, thus giving myself and my fellow Slytherins further reasons to be amused. This year, however, due to my knowledge of how much I needed her approval, I found these looks to hurt me in some way.

Whenever I was alone, I found myself brooding over how I could win her, how I could get her to fall for me. My plans were almost always interrupted by a memory of one of her blazing looks as she glared at me, her brown eyes glinting with malice. To my discomfort, I'd find myself getting hot under the collar of my robes at these thoughts, and my stomach would begin to churn as though I was feeling nervous. This I did not understand, and so attempted to push it to one side as I continued to worry over how little progress I had made with her in the past few months. He would not be pleased with me, this much I knew- but it was very difficult for a follower of You-Know-Who to seduce a girl who was in love with You-Know-Who's mortal enemy- it just wouldn't happen overnight, if it was to happen at all.

Eventually, after another week of getting nowhere, and with the half term fast approaching, I decided my time would be better spent actually attempting to talk to her. I was thinking furiously of how to do this when I passed her in a corridor one day, and heard her mentioning to the strange Ravenclaw girl that she was going up to the Owlery later in the evening to send a letter to her twin brothers, who, from what I could hear, were not staying with the rest of the family, which was where her own owl was currently residing.

Taking my opportunity, I dashed straight up there after dinner, and waited impatiently in the shadows for her to arrive.

The sun was beginning to set, and my feet beginning to ache, by the time I heard light footsteps headed up to the Owlery. My heart began to thump so loudly, I worried she'd be able to hear them before she even entered the large, circular room, but to my relief she entered quietly, a thoughtful and worried look upon her face, which showed she plainly didn't realise that she wasn't alone.

I watched as she selected a large barn owl, which held out its leg in what seemed a bored and haughty manner, and tied with great care the scroll of parchment she had written to her brothers. She then carried the bird over to a large window and watched as it set off, sailing away into the ever darkening sky. Perhaps it was the angle from which I could see only a slither of her face, but she seemed to look mournful, and I caught a glimpse of a single tear gliding noiselessly down her pale cheek.

Taking my chance, I stepped out from the shadows, coughing slightly to alert her to my presence. She jumped violently, wiped her tear quickly from her cheek, and whipped around with her wand out, eyes blazing again.

"Who is it?" she demanded furiously before she saw me standing to one side, watching her with what I hoped was an unconcerned and almost bored expression on my face. "Oh. Malfoy," she spat when she saw me.

If I had expected her to lower her wand upon seeing me, I would have been very mistaken, for she instead tightened her grip on it. Her eyes narrowed as she glared at me.

"What're you doing up here, Malfoy?" she all but snarled at me. I raised one eyebrow.

"I was under the impression we lived in a free world, Weasley," I replied calmly.

She snorted a disbelieving laugh out at this statement, as though she found it amusing.

"You're kidding me, right, Malfoy? A free world? Not since your pal took over," she replied, hatred practically dripping off her every word.

"Yeah, well, times change," I replied, shrugging. This was evidently the wrong thing to say, for she glared at me even harder and was half way through uttering a curse when I realised my mistake and hurried to grab my own wand to block her.

"_Stupify-"_

"_Protego!"_ I cried hurriedly as I blocked her curse, which rebounded off my shield and hit a wall not too far from Ginny's head, causing it to crack and a reasonable quantity of stone to begin falling from it. Removing my shield, I threw myself across the room and pulled her away from the falling debris, knocking us both to the floor and winding us.

Coughing, she shoved me away from her, glaring at me furiously.

"What did you do that for?" she demanded, struggling to her feet and dusting off her robes.

"In case you didn't notice, Weasley, your rebounded curse hit the wall behind you, you were about to be knocked out by a small avalanche of stone," I replied, getting riled that she hadn't even thought to say thank you.

"What is with you, Malfoy?" she asked angrily, a touch of confusion in her voice.

"What do you mean?" I replied coldly as I got to my feet carefully in case of bruising.

"First you save my life at my brother's wedding, and then you compliment my dress. You've been trying to get my attention ever since we got back to this now awful school, and then you go and save me from what I'm sure would have been an awful headache this evening, should a little stone have hit me on the head!" she snapped.

"Well, if you'd rather I'd have let you get knocked out, then I'm sorry I bloody bothered!" I replied, suddenly just as angry. "You want to know why I'm doing all of this? Because-" I stopped. I could feel myself getting nauseous again. I didn't have any excuse to give her.

"Because what, Malfoy?" she asked, her hand still gripping her wand tightly.

"Because I just did, alright? I saved your life and looked out for you tonight just because I did. I complimented your dress because you looked nice, and I've been trying to get your attention for the past few months because I just have been. I don't need to explain myself to you, Weasley," I said, and, although every fibre of my body was telling me it was a bad idea, I pocketed my wand and turned my back on her before heading out of the Owlery door. I left a stunned silence behind me, and I had a feeling my words had impacted her in some way.

I headed back to my common room feeling disheartened. I'd tried my best- I didn't know how to act with Blood Traitors. It was my natural instinct to either bully and torment them for my own and other's amusement, or otherwise to just avoid them completely. However, it was my duty to make this girl, one of the biggest Blood Traitors I knew, abandon her "hero" boyfriend and fall for me instead.

_Maybe, _said a small voice in my head as I contemplated this, _maybe you're not just doing it because you have to anymore. Perhaps you actually want her to pay attention to you in a good way and like you._ Shaking my head viciously, I decided it was best to forget this contaminating idea before my entire head became filled with trivial nonsense about the girl, a side effect that always came from dwelling on one thing for too long.

The common room was still full when I arrived back, and I didn't feel in any mood to endure the company of every single Slytherin student the school had. Ignoring the calls of Blaise as I headed past the fire place, my usual seat occupied instead by Pansy, who called after me as well with a note of disappointment in her voice due to my continued ignorance of her, I went straight up to my dormitory, and set about doing some homework I'd left late again.

This evening had not gone at all to plan. My head was hurting, my shoulder was aching from where I'd landed on it when I'd pulled Ginny out of the way of the rubble, and my eyes refused to remain focused on the page, instead becoming blurry and itchy from sleep deprivation.

My worry at going home soon only intensified when I reflected on how little progress I'd made with Ginny, and how very, very displeased He was going to be when I returned without any satisfying news for Him. I could picture Bellatrix's eager and excited face when He decided, undoubtedly, that my lack of progress must be punished- I shuddered, recalling from the darkest recesses of my mind the pain I had experienced at the end of the previous school year when I had failed my last task, and knew I would have to triple my efforts, try even harder, if I was to avoid the same fate as the Aurors, Longbottom's parents, who had been tortured into insanity by Bellatrix.

I'd rather be dead, I thought to myself as I settled into my bed. Rather dead than trapped in a meaningless existence, without any immediate escape, without any consciousness of what was going on around me… I'd rather be dead.

Ginny:

The day after his suggestion of reforming Dumbledore's Army, Neville entered the common room practically bouncing from excitement. Apparently, he'd spoken to Luna, and she had (obviously) been all for it.

In the weeks that followed, Neville, Luna and I each took turns to sneak out of the common room in the dead of night and put signs up on the walls all over the castle- "Dumbledore's Army, still recruiting". It was beyond risky, but worth it.

Two weeks after we had started doing this, our ranks had swelled from 3 to well over 20 students, all from Gryffindor, Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff. We didn't have meetings to learn defence as much, it was more about disrupting the running of the school and trying to undermine the Carrow's and Snape's authority.

Our riskiest manoeuvre was not the signs we'd been putting it- it was four weeks before the Christmas holiday, and Neville, Luna and I attempted to steal the sword of Gryffindor from its case in the headmasters office- or rather, Snape's office. This did not go well. Snape caught us in the act, and I can honestly say that I have never been more terrified of him.

His pale, sallow face was rigid with fury, his black eyes narrowed as he glared at us in disgust. For some reason which was unbeknownst to us, he merely gave us one detention, which was to go into the Forbidden Forest with Hagrid- if he honestly thought this was a punishment, then he was very wrong.

The Christmas holidays were fast approaching; we were only one week away from them now, and I found myself once again in a mess of confused thoughts and emotions.

The week before, I had unwittingly walked into the Owlery, where I'd been confronted by Malfoy. He'd proceeded to pull me out of the way of the damage my ricocheted Stunning Spell had caused when it had bounced off of his shield charm, and then had snapped that he didn't have to explain himself to me and had stalked off, leaving me feeling very bemused and slightly bruised after my contact with the hard Owlery floor.

I could not understand his sudden want for pleasant interaction with me. Unless this was some sort of trick or trap- which I highly suspected- I had no idea what he was up to. Whenever he had seen me in the corridors after that, instead of complaining falsely to his cronies about the punishment in the castle, he merely nodded at me politely and gave a small smile. This in itself was odd- Malfoy, without his trademark smirk? It had to be some kind of twisted joke on his part.

However, this joke, if that's what it was (and I was almost certain that it was a joke), left me with many restless nights as I attempted to understand his actions. Twice now he had saved me from harm's way- one of which genuinely entailed saving my life- and he had looked concerned when he saw me in the Owlery and I had allowed for a tiny moment my painful emotions to overwhelm me. Of course, he had tried to hide this by hitching a completely unbelievable look of boredom onto his pale face, but I'd seen through that almost instantly.

To top it all off, Mum and Dad still hadn't sent Pig back with a response to my last letter, which I'd sent weeks ago, not even to tell me that they looked forward to seeing me when I returned home for the Christmas holidays.

Fred and George had replied to me, telling me that they were well, that business was still booming, and that they were currently having great difficulty in finding me a perfect Christmas present. Their reply had made me smile briefly for the first time in ages; It had made me, for a fraction of a second, forget that the Wizarding World was in the middle of what seemed a fruitless battle against You-Know-Who, and that Hogwarts was being overrun by Dark Magic.

Aside from Fred and George's reply, the only thing that gave me reason to feel even slightly cheerful was the continued existence of Dumbledore's Army, which was conducted right under the noses of the Carrows and Snape. It gave me little pleasure, but pleasure none the less, to know that I was resisting the new Hogwarts regime in some way.

Neville seemed, on the surface, to be benefitting the least from the DA. He was now having to spend up to days at a time hiding in the Room of Requirement before one of the other members told him that he was free to leave again, and his appearance was a little worse for wear as well- his robes were fraying around the edges from stumbling on them as he ran from the Carrows, and there were two slices across his cheeks from where he'd refused to torture a bunch of first years who'd earned detention and had cheeked one of the Alecto Carrow by asking her how much Muggle blood she and her brother had.

He was spending more time resisting Hogwarts than actually learning lessons- he missed every single one of his Defence Against the Dark Arts lessons, as well as all of his Muggle Studies lessons, only attending those lessons in which the professors where not Death Eaters or supporters in any way of the new running of Hogwarts.

Finally, the day of our departure from Hogwarts arrived, and the people boarding the Hogwarts express all showed signs of relief to be leaving the castle for a while. I gazed around at them all with wonder- who would return in the New Year? Who would go into hiding? There was no knowing.

As I glanced around at the faces of the students, my eyes met with Malfoy's. Malfoy had been staring at me, for how long I didn't know, and even though I had caught him looking he did not turn away or else pretend he had not been looking at me. On the contrary, he fought his way through the billowing crowd of students, many of whom looked at him in terror and backed out of his way quickly, and eventually he reached me.

"Weasley," he said, giving me what I suppose he thought was a charming look, but in reality made me glare at him.

"What, Malfoy?" I demanded, moving with the crowd towards the doors of the Hogwarts Express.

"I just thought I'd come and wish you a Merry Christmas, and hope that you enjoy yourself over the festive period," he said, sounding very much like someone from the 1800s.

"How thoughtful of you," I said coldly, still glaring at him.

Many of the students around where glancing occasionally over their shoulders to look from Malfoy to me, the gaze terrified when they rested on him, but still burning with curiosity.

"Yes, I thought so," he said simply, seeming pleased with himself, although a little indent had appeared between his eyebrows as he spoke.

"I suppose you expect a 'Merry Christmas' in return, do you?" I snapped, when he didn't immediately turn away from me and leave.

"It would be pleasant, yes," he said, smirking and shrugging.

"Well then you're going to find yourself disappointed. I do not wish you to have a merry time this holiday, and I hope you do not enjoy yourself. On the contrary," I said, rounding on him and stopping stock still, so that the crowd had to move around us, "I hope you spend much of your holiday in discomfort. But of course, that will no doubt happen, as there are rumours that your _Dark Lord_ is residing at your _manor_!"

"You want to watch yourself more carefully, Weasley. I don't appreciate your tone," he said, his pale eyes regarding me coldly.

"I really couldn't care less," I replied, looking him up and down in disgust.

"Ginny, come on, we need to get seats-" cut in the dreamy voice of Luna, who had appeared out of nowhere and was standing beside me, regarding the scene in front of her with a vacant expression.

"I'm coming, Luna," I replied, turning on my heel and making to walk off.

"Wait, Weasley-" Malfoy's voice had a small ring of desperation to it, and as I turned back, the expression on his face shocked me slightly.

He looked anxious, worried, as though he'd done something wrong and he needed to fix it. I raised one eyebrow at him questioningly.

"I really do hope you enjoy yourself this Christmas," he said in a voice that betrayed his confidence as being fake.

"Erm," I replied, stumped- how exactly was I supposed to answer his remark? "Thanks?"

"Sure. See you in the New Year then, Weasley," he said, his haughty manner returning as quickly as it had disappeared. I watched, one eyebrow raised, as he strode off through the now thinning crowd of Hogwarts students boarding the express and returned to his cronies.

"What was that about?" asked Luna, who for once had dropped her dreamy demeanour and was showing a very mild interest in what had just transpired between Malfoy and myself.

"I have no idea. Anyway, come on- didn't Neville say he was going to try and save us our own compartment?" I asked, turning back to the express and beginning to head towards it.

"Yes, he did," said Luna, her voice returning to its usual dreamy state.

"Well then, come on," I said, rolling my eyes and smiling slightly at how quickly Luna's mind seemed to change direction.

Once everyone had boarded the train and the clock struck 10am, the train began to slowly pull out of Hogsmeade station, slowly gathering speed until eventually we were far from Hogwarts and the only thing visible out of the windows was the seemingly never ending fields on either side.

I was contemplating the confusing conversation I'd had with Malfoy on the platform- I still didn't understand his sudden behaviour change towards me. It was while I was thinking about this that Luna piped up from behind _The Quibbler_.

"Daddy's printed another article about how the Wizarding World should be supporting Harry," she said, her eyes hovering on Neville and I in turn. Neville looked interested, but I didn't turn away from the window, not wanting to hear anything about Harry that would make me worry more.

"Really? Is there anything else in there about the war? Anyone else we know disappeared?" asked Neville nervously.

"Not really, although a wizard family of four on the outskirts of Leicester has been found dead in their home, along with their pet cat," said Luna, her large orb like eyes going misty as she thought about it.

She and Neville were discussing this when the train ground unexpectedly to a stop, causing the lamps to sway precariously and several loud exclamations issued from the compartments along the train- I could hear several of them opening their doors and sticking their heads out to see what was going on, and I vaguely remembered the only other time the Hogwarts express had stopped before it had reached its destination. On that one occasion, Dementors had got on board, and I was in no rush to relive the experience.

This time however, it seemed people had boarded the train, as I could hear footsteps getting closer to our compartment, followed by a silence that seemed ominous. After a couple of minutes, during which all three of us had moved slowly to standing position and had reached for our wands, which were now held in front of us, we heard the footsteps stop outside the compartment next to ours. We heard as the door was flung open with such a force that the glass shattered, and heard the harsh voice of a man.

"Lovegood?" he demanded, and we all froze, staring round at Luna, who was looking somewhat interested, but not scared. "We're looking for Lovegood."

"She… She's not in here," came the terrified voice of one of the students in the next compartment, and heard as the door was slammed shut again and the footsteps moved steadily closer.

Instinctively, Neville and I moved to stand in front of Luna, all three of us clutching our wands as two men reached our compartment door and flung it open. The glass in our door shattered as well, and we winced as it flew in all directions, thankfully none of us hurting us.

"Ahh," remarked one of the men, who I now recognised as Dolohov. "I reckon we've found the right one, don't you?"

The man behind him, who I didn't recognise, sneered menacingly. "Yepp, reckon you're right there."

"What do you want?" demanded Neville, and I spared a glance at him, worried and shocked by his outburst.

"We're here for Lovegood," Dolohov sneered, moving into the compartment now.

Neville and I backed Luna into the far corner, where we stood in front of her, wands raised.

"Come on, kiddies, give us the girl and we won't have to hurt you," said the other one, moving in behind Dolohov and raising his own wand.

"You can forget about it," snapped Neville, his grip on his wand tightening.

"Yeah, get out," I snapped, my heart thumping at a much quicker pace than usual.

"Now, don't be stupid," snarled the other Death Eater, advancing towards us now as he side stepped Dolohov.

"Give us Lovegood and we'll be on our way," said Dolohov, who was also advancing on us now.

"Why do you want her anyway?" demanded Neville, who was getting red in the face with supressed fury.

"Her daddy has been printing unacceptable stories in his little magazine," Dolohov sneered. "My Lord does not like what he's been writing- we've been instructed to take your little friend here to stop old Xenophilius writing such moral boosting rubbish. Now, step aside and let us take Lovegood without any injuries being caused."

"No way!" said Neville, moving slightly closer to Luna.

Luna was watching the scene in front of her with wide eyes, which for once were actually focused on what was happening.

"Right, you asked for it," snarled Dolohov, pointing his wand directly at Neville, who didn't move an inch. "_Stupify!"_

I watched in horror as the beam of red light flashed straight at Neville, whose face looked shocked for a second, before he slumped to the floor unconscious.

"How dare you!" I shouted. "_Expelliarmus!"_

Dolohov's wand shot out of his hand and he glared at me furiously, his mouth half forming the curse he'd been about to shoot at me before I'd disarmed him.

"You little-" he shouted, not finishing his sentence- without my realising, Luna had raised her wand and stunned him.

The remaining Death Eater let out a roar of fury, diving forwards as he lunged towards Luna, grabbing her by her long blonde hair and shoving me out of the way. I stumbled sideways, caught off guard by his sudden attack.

Jumping back to my feet, I saw him dragging Luna, who was struggling and showing more emotion than I'd ever seen, back towards his Stunned companion, who he grabbed before turning back to face me. Panicking, I realised my wand had been knocked out of my hand as I'd fallen- it had landed at least 6 feet away from me, and I glanced at it before throwing myself at the trio before me- too late.

Grinning, the Death Eater spun on the spot, disappearing into thin air, taking the screaming Luna and his fellow Death Eater with him. A loud crack filled the compartment, and I let out a scream of mingled fury and pain- they'd taken Luna.

"Neville!" I gasped, tears streaking down my face.

The train began to move again, but there was little sound coming from the other compartments. I glanced around through bleary eyes and spied my wand lying in the smashed glass by the door. Grabbing it, I threw myself back to Neville, who remained unmoving on the floor by the window.

"_Renervate,"_ I managed to stutter out, and I watched as he finally came too.

"Ginny-" he muttered, rubbing his head and sitting up. "Where- Where's Luna?"

"They t-took her!" I cried, sobbing unrestrainedly into my hands.

"They WHAT?" he shouted, jumping to his feet and running out of the compartment.

"Neville- she's gone," I said, getting shakily to my feet and running after him.

"Luna? LUNA?" he shouted, running down past the other compartments, gazing wildly into each one as though she would be sitting there, calmly reading her _Quibbler_ magazine.

Moving after him slightly, I glanced sideways into the compartment next to ours, where six terrified looking fourth years were staring with sorrowful eyes at me. I glanced up as I heard raucous laughter echoing down the train- Neville had obviously just passed a Slytherin compartment.

I headed back to our compartment, which was littered with shattered glass. Luna's possessions were lying on the luggage rack where she'd put it, and her _Quibbler_ was lying abandoned on the floor where she'd dropped it.

Throwing myself down into a window seat, I let myself cry as much as I wanted. First Harry, Ron and Hermione had disappeared, and now Luna had as well- and with Dumbledore dead, I could see no hope that any of them would be coming back.

**A/N: My longest chapter! 10 pages, seems like a lot to me at any rate. Well, I hope you like it, as always I would appreciate some reviews on my work- if you don't tell me what I could make better then I won't be able to improve my writing. Anyway, hope it's alright and I'll try and get another chapter up soon. Thanks guys :)**


	11. Chapter 11

Draco-

My mother met me off the express. She explained in hushed tones that my father was currently otherwise engaged, and that he would see me when I arrived home. I merely nodded to show I'd heard her; I was frantically scanning the crowded platform.

I saw her standing with her own mother, several feet away. Her older brothers, the twins, were stood on either side of her mother, worried expressions on their identical faces. This concerned me slightly- I glanced towards Ginny and saw that her face was streaked with tears, her eyes puffy, her face blotched. I felt a jolt in my stomach- of course. Her friend, the weird girl in her year, had been pulled off of the Hogwarts Express by a couple of Death Eaters. My mouth went dry.

"Draco? Darling, what's wrong?" asked my mother, watching me with a concerned expression etched upon her once beautiful face- in present times anyone could see how the stress had affected her.

"Nothing is wrong, Mother," I replied, my voice sounding horse as it escaped my dry mouth. The platform was emptying quickly- people were rushing their children back to the safety of their homes. A lot of people, students and parents alike, were giving my mother and me a wide berth. A circle of sorts had formed around us- no one seemed to want to come close.

Blaise broke this circle. He strode over to me with a certain confidence that seemed out of place in the scared atmosphere emanating from the surrounding but ever thinning crowd.

"Draco," he said, clapping a hand on my shoulder. I shook it off without thinking. "Enjoy the holidays. No doubt I shall see you at some point."

"No doubt at all, Blaise," I replied with feigned calm. "I look forward to seeing you- it shall break the monotony nicely."

"Draco, come along now. You'll see your friend soon enough- and besides, they are waiting for you at home," murmured my mother, her mouth close to my ear. I flinched away from her soft voice as she spoke into my ear, ignoring the hurt look on her face.

"I'm coming, Mother," I sighed. Rolling my eyes at Blaise, who smirked back before heading off to his own parents, I followed my mother off the platform, passing the Weasley family as I did. As I walked past, I glanced over my shoulder at Ginny, who was crying onto her mother's shoulder. Again I felt a jolt in my stomach, and experienced a sudden urge to rush back and comfort her. Shaking myself mentally, I turned back to face my mother, who was once again watching me with a worried expression.

"Draco, darling, they are waiting, we cannot be late," she said hurriedly, sounding scared.

"We will not be late, Mother. I am on my way now," I said through clenched teeth. Reaching out a timid hand, she placed it on my shoulder, pulling me along with her through the barrier into the Muggle world.

The return to the Manor was swift once we have exited Kings Cross and managed to find a secluded street from which to apparate. Apparition directly to the Manor had always been prohibited- we didn't like that people had an easy route to get to the house whenever they wanted.

My father had been waiting for me at the gate, which stood slightly ajar and which closed with a resounding _bang_ once we had all passed through it. Inside the Manor was much the same, although there were more people standing idly here or there. I scowled at the interlopers, and went straight up to my room, carting my bags with me. My mother hung around uselessly at my door for 10 minutes before departing, leaving behind her a lingering sense of anxiety.

I knew that He would call for me eventually. It might not have been that night, it might not have been for a couple of nights- but he would definitely call for me, and when he did I had to be there, swiftly and without hesitation.

Christmas that year came at a slow pace due to the fact that I was longing to leave the constant unease and uncertainty that plagued the Manor that I had once called home. Strange sounds could be heard from the cellar, although I was not informed of what was going on down there. I presumed there was someone down there being held captive, and wished with all my heart that it was not Ginny's friend; if it was found out that Lovegood was being held captive in my home, I knew Ginny would never forgive me.

When Christmas finally did arrive, it was a subdued affair; my father was looking paler than usual, his usually sleek blond hair hanging lankly around his suddenly thin face. My mother had also lost weight, although she attempted to keep her appearance as pristine as usual- there were flaws though. Her nail varnish was chipped, her makeup wobbled slightly here and there, and the usual demeanour with which she usually carried and conducted herself was missing. She had taken to hurrying from one room of the Manor to another, vacating immediately if she found a Death Eater in the room of her choice, something which was becoming much more likely, so that she spent a good while scurrying from room to room like a timid field mouse than actually sitting in a room and preoccupying herself with one of her usual pastimes.

I joined my parents later in the morning, nodding my thanks for the new cloak and the handsome owl they had purchased for me, returning their gifts with much less flair than was usual in our home. I'd purchased a necklace for my mother, a beautiful garment of silver with a tiny snake pendent in emeralds; my father was easier and cheaper to buy for. Handing him a bottle of particularly strong Fire whiskey, his now dull eyes lit up slightly, and Mother glared at the bottle in his hands reproachfully.

Christmas dinner was equally tense. We ate in silence, the only noise coming from the House Elves darting in and out of the room, refilling our drinks and bringing more food when we required it. We did not acknowledge their presence except to take the drinks from them. It was during Christmas dinner that I felt the Mark on my left arm burn, so suddenly and intensely that I jumped, knocking over my Elf-made wine and letting out a short gasp, which I quickly stopped in its tracks.

"Darling?" asked my mother, half out of her seat before my father placed a hand on her shoulder and pushed her back down into it. She glanced up at him, fear etched into her face, and he shook his head.

"None of the rest of us felt it, Narcissa. It was meant for Draco alone. Leave him to go; if you hinder him in his attempts to reach the Dark Lord as quickly as possible, we shall all be severely punished."

"But Lucius, darling…"

"Narcissa, I said leave him!" Father snapped. Throwing himself back into his chair at the head of the table, he threw another glass of Fire Whiskey down his throat, holding back a belch as he did so. Mother stared at him with a slight look of repulsion; I left them sitting there in silence and headed to the study, where the Dark Lord was currently residing.

"My Lord," I said, bowing as I entered the room. Glancing around me, I instantly saw that something bad had happened- our books were strewn across the room, pages ripped out, covers wrenched from the rest of the books, the desk had been thrown aside and was lying in pieces near the large bay window, which had a smashed pane through which icy winter air blew, causing me to shiver.

"Draco." I had not initially noticed Him standing in the dark corner, but I turned when I heard his voice, more icy than the wind blowing through the ruined room, and more threatening that I'd ever heard it before.

"My Lord," I repeated, bowing this time in his direction. He moved into the light, his red eyes glinting dangerously in the firelight from the large fireplace, into which several books had also been thrown.

"I trust you are progressing smoothly with your mission, Draco?" He asked, his voice slicing through me like Sectumsempra.

"My Lord, the girl is proving difficult in winning over. However, I believe I am close to winning her affections; she is behaving more warmly to me than she has ever done before, and is noticing me more when I pass her in the corridors." I felt my cheeks burn as I spoke- discussing such matters with him, with the Dark Lord, was simply preposterous. Never would I have imagined myself to be in such a position.

"So it is not moving as smoothly as we had hoped?" His voice was little more than a hiss, and I flinched.

"It is difficult, My Lord. She still holds much affection for Potter-"

"Potter!" spat the Dark Lord suddenly, and I blanched, my sentence forgotten in his sudden rage. "Potter, who constantly out runs me, Potter who, by no special talent of his own, but by mere luck, escapes me, again and again, evading me constantly! You, you are more a man than that boy will ever be, and yet you cower here before me to tell me that you are struggling to win the affections of a mere Blood-Traitor girl- because of _Potter?_"

"My Lord- she is loyal to Potter-"

"You must make her otherwise, Draco! Dumbledore believed I knew nothing of the emotion love. Dumbledore was wrong. I understand how it works- if you take Potter's love, then his strength will be broken; I will be able, finally, after all these years, to defeat him! You must sway the Blood-Traitor's loyalties, Draco- or would you prefer to feel the wrath of Lord Voldemort?"

He raised his wand in a would be casual manner, twisting it around in his long, pale fingers. I eyed it anxiously.

"No, my Lord. I will win the girl's affections. I… I can do it, my Lord," I replied, attempting to make my voice sound strong, commanding- but it came out as little more than a whisper.

The Dark Lord surveyed me with a curious gleam in his eyes; I avoided looking directly at him with every fibre of my being.

"Oh," he whispered. He said it so quietly that it could have been little more than another breeze blowing in from the broken window pane- but wind didn't cause a feeling of such deep dread within a person's soul. I remained staring at the wall behind him. "Oh, but this is amusing. You- you admire this… _girl_. You, Pure-blooded Draco Malfoy, _desire_ her."

"My Lord-" I stammered, dread building inside of me with every second that passed. "My Lord, such a notion is… is an abomination towards my heritage, towards everything I believe in- everything my family has always believed in!"

"Do not lie to Lord Voldemort, Draco!" he snapped, his voice high now, and I knew what was going to happen before he had even pointed the wand at me, knew but didn't move. I stood my ground as he glared at me and spoke in the high, cold voice- "_Crucio!"_

Pain, pain of unexplainable levels ricocheted through my body; a thousand knives stabbing, being submerged in boiling oil, anything would have been a relief from the pain now coursing through every bone and vein and cell in my body, pain that had driven me close to the edge of madness, threatening once again to submerge me in the eternal darkness- the curse lifted. I was lying on the floor, sweating and gasping. The relief was immense, the best feeling I had ever experienced.

"Do not lie to Lord Voldemort," he hissed again, lowering his wand and replacing it in his robes. "You will win her affections. You will tear her away from Harry Potter- and I do not care how you do it. You win her affections, or you lose your life. Is that clear, Draco?"

"Y…Yes, my Lord," I gasped, my breathing still coming in harsh, ragged breaths that seemed to burn in my lungs.

"Very good. Leave me now," he commanded. Turning his back on me, his hissed into the darkness, and his snake joined him, coiling up around his neck. He stoked it with one long finger, and I exited quietly out of the study door.

"Draco!" gasped my mother the second I closed the door behind me. I jumped, turning- she and Father were waiting outside, my father bearing an expression that clearly told me he had been unable to keep her at the dining table for long, and he was not pleased by her disobeying him.

"Oh, Draco, my darling! Are you alright? We heard, oh my God, we heard you screaming- he was, wasn't he? He was… the Cruciatus curse! On my only son! My boy!" She broke down into sobs, and any words uttered after that were unintelligible.

"I am going to my room," I said quietly, removing my mother as forcefully as I could from around my neck. "I do not wish to be disturbed. All of you- and that includes you, Mother- are to stay away from my room, are to leave me alone."

"But… Draco…" she pleaded, her eyes wide and swimming with tears. I glanced down at her, feeling pity at her worry and distress, but annoyed at her persistent treatment of me, as though I were a child.

"I said alone, Mother." With that, I swept away up the stairs, slammed my door, and collapsed onto my bed, shaking.

I remained in my room for the rest of the day. I did not leave for dinner, or when my mother, despite my wishes, knocked on my door at around 9pm, demanding that I have something to eat. I turned over on my bed, feeling less at home than I ever had within the dull Manor walls, and fell into a troubled sleep, thoughts of Ginny racing round and round in my head, leaving me with confused dreams in which she wove in and out of gracefully, never speaking a word to me- she transformed into Him, and he uttered the words, and there was a flash of green light and-

I awoke with a yell to find myself on the floor, my bed clothes tangled around me in a mess, my day clothes still on. If things did not progress any quicker, I would have to resort to trickery to win her affections.

Ginny-

"They took her, mum! They took Luna!" I sobbed, clinging to her as we stood on the platform, people milling around us. Some patted me on the back, others whispered condolences that were lost in the noise of the station. I could feel eyes burning into my back, but was unable to turn to look at the person who they belonged to. My mum patted me on the back whilst Fred and George looked on helplessly.

"Come on, we'll get you home," murmured Mum into my ear, moving so that she could see my face. She brushed my hair out of my eyes, which were still letting loose a never ending stream of hot tears, and then held out her hand. I took it, grateful of something to hold on to, and followed her from the station, Fred and George close behind, discussing in quiet voices about what had happened on the train.

Exiting the platform, I caught a glimpse of Malfoy and his mother walking swiftly in the direction of somewhere to apparate from; I felt a strange desire as I watched him depart that I was unable to place. My emotions ran riot through my head, making me feel dizzy and confused. Mum led me to a Muggle taxi which waited outside the platform.

"Summit wrong, love?" asked the taxi driver, his cockney accent broader than I usually heard.

"She's had a stressful term at her… boarding… school," said Mum in a quiet voice, stumbling over the unfamiliar Muggle term.

"Yeah, I reckon I can remember 'ard times at school. Never was one for school, me. Struggled, see. Dyslexic. Couldn't spell," said the taxi driver, holding open the door and helping me and mum clamber into the back seat. Fred joined us there after he had helped George put my trunk in the boot of the car; George joined the taxi driver in the front.

The trip home seemed to last forever. Although my sobs had now subsided, I was still unable to stop the flow of tears. I leaned on Mum's shoulder the whole way home, and she kept her arm around me, murmuring soothing words into my ear that I couldn't comprehend.

The taxi pulled up not far from our house, but not too close due to the protective charms cast around it.

"You sure this is the place, love?" he asked Mum, looking around at the seemingly empty field before him.

"Yes, thank you. How much do I owe you?" asked Mum nervously, reaching into her purse for some Muggle money. The taxi driver told her the price in what seemed a foreign language. Mum struggled for a minute with the money, before handing over to him what I assume was the right amount. He didn't tell her otherwise, at any rate; merely wished me luck in my school and departing.

"Come on, you. I don't think you're up for eating anything right now, but you should go straight to bed and get some rest. No doubt you've had some awful nights at that school, depraved as it's gotten under that Death Eater's control." Mum led me inside, helping me change into my pyjamas and then tucking me up into my bed as though I were a child again.

"Don't you worry about Luna," she whispered into my ear. "She's tough. I know she'll be fine." I nodded, not really paying much attention, and then turned over, pulling the quilt up around my head. Mum patted me on the shoulder, sighed, and then left. I heard her talking downstairs with my brothers, listened to the ghoul in Ron's room as it moaned in its usual fashion, and gradually, I drifted to sleep.

It took me a week until I could properly arrange my thoughts and emotions again, and a further few days before I was able to recognise the emotion I'd felt as I'd watched Malfoy leaving with his mother; I was worried for him. I knew what he was going home to, and it worried me. I might have wished an awful Christmas upon him, but I knew that I hadn't meant it. This confused me; it was his kin who had taken Luna from the express so forcefully, had kidnapped her and now held her who knew where. Surely, my more reasonable side of the brain reasoned, you should feel hatred for those who kidnapped your friend, and any who might have been associated with it? But the other half of my brain, which seemed to be stuck in a fog of indecision and doubt, told me that Malfoy had been at Hogwarts the whole of last term; how could he have had anything to do with it if he'd been in school?

It wasn't until Christmas day that I finally comprehended where my head was at.

I awoke early, not out of excitement, but more out of habit, and rested in my bed for half an hour before going downstairs and curling up in an old armchair which was positioned by the fire, which had been lit before I'd gotten downstairs. Mum was busy in the kitchen, cooking up a full English breakfast for us all, and poked her head around the door when she heard me come in.

"Good morning, Ginny- merry Christmas, dear," she smiled. Although she said it in a cheery enough tone, anyone could have discerned the concern and worry that tinged her voice and caused her smile to seem fake.

"Merry Christmas, Mum," I smiled back, the feeling of my lips curving into a smile seeming unfamiliar.

"Breakfast should be ready before long, and we can open presents at the table- it's not many of us this year, Bill and Fleur wanted to spend their first Christmas alone, and Percy-" she broke off, turning white then red in rapid succession. "Well, you know about the others," she mumbled eventually, heading back into the kitchen.

I thought about Harry, Ron and Hermione, wherever they were, and wondered what they were doing. It was Christmas- were they celebrating? It seemed unlikely. Then what were they doing? It seemed an unsolvable puzzle.

Fred and George joined me in the sitting room before long, throwing themselves down upon the threadbare old sofa that sat adjacent to the arm chair I was curled up in, grinning identically at me.

"Morning, sis," grinned George.

"Merry Christmas," added Fred, also grinning. I smiled back half-heartedly.

"Now, come along, Gin!" scolded Fred.

"Don't we get any word of welcome in return?" questioned George.

"Not even a merry Christmas from her!" said Fred, turning to George with a look of incredulity on his face.

"And to think, we spent so long picking her out a present!" said George, his face a mirror image of Fred's. I rolled my eyes.

"Morning, Fred, George. I trust you slept well?" I asked, my voice radiating sarcasm. "Oh, and a very merry Christmas to the both of you."

"Much better," smiled Fred.

"Certainly was," replied George.

"Boys, stop pestering your sister," said Mum, her head reappearing round the door.

"We're only making conversation, Mum," replied Fred instantly.

"Yeah, can't all sit here in silence, can we?" added George.

Mum glared at them both, but it wasn't with any real conviction. They merely grinned at her, not breaking eye contact until she eventually deflated, smiling back at them reluctantly.

"Merry Christmas, anyway, boys," she said, turning and heading back into the kitchen. "Breakfast should be ready in five, if you want to get a seat at the table quickly."

Fred and George raced each other to the table, shoving and pushing in a jovial manner. Even the current atmosphere that clouded the entire Wizarding world didn't seem to bother them.

I got up once I heard the scraping of chairs in the kitchen, meaning they had sat down, and choice a seat for myself as far from the both of them as I could manage; I wasn't in any kind of mood for their usual tricks.

Dad was the next down. Kissing Mum on the cheek quickly, he adjusted his robes, which were looking distinctly more frayed than usual, and hurriedly check his watch.

"Do you really have to work today, Arthur?" asked Mum, glancing up from the bacon to watch him as he fell into a chair and pulled his shoes on.

"Yes, dear, you know how important it is that I go in, especially now that Thicknesse has become Minister," mumbled Dad, his glasses slipping off his nose and falling to the floor. A shatter broke the air, causing Hermione's cat Crookshanks, which she had left in our care, to jump up into the air, spitting and hissing in reproach. "Damn," muttered Dad, picking them up and fixing them wordlessly with a careless flick of his battered old wand.

"Well, if you insist on going into work, at least put on matching shoes," admonished Mum, glancing down at his feet, which were indeed garbed in mismatched shoes.

"Damn," muttered Dad again, removing one and hopping around in an attempt to find the other. He spotted me sitting in a corner, and hopped over, kissing me on the forehead.

"Happy Christmas, Ginny," he smiled, repeating his tidings to Fred and George, who both repeated them back to him, before continuing their discussion of whether or not Dragon Dung would make a valuable addition to one of their latest products in their joke shop. I grimaced as I heard their conversation- it sounded disgusting.

"Happy Christmas, Dad," I mumbled back, and then watched as, having finally found the matching shoe to the one on his right foot, he ran out of the front door, a slice of toast in one hand and a battered brief case in the other.

The day passed in a mess of colour and noise. Mum and Dad had bought me a second hand book about the Hollyhead Harpies, my favourite Quidditch team, and the usual Weasley jumper; Fred and George a second Pygmy Puff in blue and a set of amethyst coloured dress robes with tiny silver stars embroidered over them; Charlie had got me a miniature model of a dragon, which moved and breathed fire- Mum objected to this one, until Charlie explained that the fire was harmless. Bill and Fleur had sent over a silver bracelet, one which was a miniature Quaffle, and Great Aunt Muriel had sent over a truly horrible flower patterned jumper, which I vowed to burn at my first available opportunity.

Dad didn't make it home until gone 11pm, meaning he had missed virtually all of Christmas day. He collapsed into a chair upon his arrival home, closing his eyes and leaning back on the head rest. In a weary but still cheerful manner, he opened his presents from us, and accepted hugs and kisses in thanks for his presents to us.

I made it up to bed at just gone midnight, my eyes itchy from tiredness. It was when I was lying in bed, in the early hours of Boxing Day morning, that I came to realise where my thoughts currently lay. In the time between Bill's wedding and the beginning of the Christmas holidays, my thoughts had centred ever more frequently around the mysteries that Draco Malfoy produced. On several occasions now he had saved me from getting hurt, and once from being killed.

Guilt surged through me as I realised how I had come to regard him- without realising it, without meaning to, I had begun to find him interesting. I realised that the feeling I had experienced as I watched him leave for his Manor on the platform a week ago had been resentment- not resentment towards him, but resentment that I would have to wait two weeks before I could see him again, perhaps talk to him again, find out more about the way he was acting with me- two weeks before I could try to understand him. It was something more than just that though- I hadn't been looking forward to the prospect of not being able to see him. I'd taken it for granted that he was just always there, an annoyance in the background, and now that he wasn't- I felt strangely alone. I couldn't understand fully why I was feeling like this, but it scared me.

What about Harry? The boy who I'd loved since I was 11 years old, the boy who I never used to be able to talk around, and who, despite having broken up with me, loved me as well? I couldn't pretend that I didn't have feelings for him, deep feelings that made me feel sick with worry when I thought about his current situation and the future he faced- but I could no longer deny that I had some sort of feelings when concerning Draco Malfoy. Yet I knew that this was ridiculous- I was what they considered a Blood-traitor, whilst he was a Pure-blood. Worse than a Pure-blood- he was a Death Eater. My mind had somehow become obsessed with both Harry Potter, the mortal enemy of the Dark Lord, and sworn enemy of Draco Malfoy- and then Draco Malfoy himself, sworn enemy of Harry Potter, and follower of Harry's worst enemy, the man who had attempted to murder him when he was a year old, had killed his parents, and had attempted on numerous occasions to kill him- the Dark Lord, He Who Must Not Be Named, You Know Who.

The tumult of confusing thoughts pressed against my consciousness for hours into the night, and when the sun rose on December 26th, I hadn't been able to sleep for even a second. My mind was hazy from the lack of sleep; I turned over, closed my eyes, and somehow, somehow, against the burning guilt in my chest, and the overwhelming worry for Luna in my mind, and the pit of anxiety that was ever present in my stomach- somehow, I managed to fall asleep for a couple of hours.

**A/N: I apologise for the lack of writing that I have produced over the past month. I have started back at college, and the work load is so intense this year that I have been literally up to my eyeballs in course work- never ending streams of coursework and deadlines, stretching far into the foreseeable future! Oh, the drama… Anywho, please read, please review- as always, I welcome reviews, and would please, please ask people to leave them- it is tiring writing chapters when I don't know if people actually appreciate them or not. Thank you, everyone **

**Love, Beccari xx**


	12. Chapter 12

Draco-

By the time the end of the Christmas holidays came, I had planned how to win Ginny. It was low, deceitful, and underhanded- but when it was a case of life or death, one often had no choice. I would not sink so low as to put her under the Imperious curse- even I would not make a girl love me that way. There was only one other way I knew how, and as much as I was loath to do it, I was facing torture into insanity, followed not long after by death. Contemplating this, I thought that perhaps I would welcome death, if I was really so far into insanity's crushing grip.

"Draco-"

My mother's voice broke through my overwhelming thoughts, and I blinked, startled. She was gazing at my with the same burning concern and worry in her eyes that so often plagued her nowadays- I resented her for it.

"Darling, are you listening to me?"

"No," I replied coldly. "No, Mother, I have given up listening to you, as all you say is the same old nonsense."

My mother looked at me, stunned and hurt. I felt a twinge of guilt in my stomach, but chose to ignore it.

"Now, are you Apparating with me to the station or not?" I demanded, raising an eyebrow at her.

"I… yes, darling, of course," she stuttered, then glanced around the empty hallway in desperation. "Do you know where your father is?"

"Of course I don't," I snapped.

"Well, darling, he did say he was going to come and say goodbye," explained Mother.

"I don't care. He shall stink of alcohol and cigars, and I don't want to be reeking of commoners when I reach the station," I retorted.

She glanced once more around the deserted hallway, caught sight of something in the doorway of the study, then turned on her heel, catching me by the top of my arm as she walked past me and dragging me along to the door as I clutched at my trunk.

"Let go of me!" I demanded, furious.

"Come along now, Draco," she snapped, glancing behind her as she walked.

We had barely stepped out of the iron gates when she twisted on the spot, dragging me into the compressing darkness that accompanies Apparition. It lasted the usual few seconds, and just as I felt as if my lungs would explode, we slammed onto the hard, winter ground. Stumbling a bit at the force of the impact, I gasped in the cold, dirty London air as the wind bit at my cheeks. It was never a good idea to Apparate when angry.

"We're almost late," muttered Mother to herself, dragging my trunk as she led the way into Kings Cross.

I followed behind her reluctantly, my hands stuffed in my pockets. I was thinking through my plan to win Ginny again. It made my heart thud, made the blood rush to my ears- but most of all, it made me feel ashamed. I would never win the heart of any other girl this way, but this wasn't any other girl, this was the girl that stood between life and death- my life, and my death.

"Draco!" hissed Mother, snapping me out of my thoughts. "Stop scuffing your shoes, they're almost brand new! You won't be allowed new ones if you ruin those ones, you know!"

"Mother, I am old enough to look after myself- a pair of shoes isn't going to be a problem," I retorted, hardly looking at her.

Scowling at me, she pushed me in the small of my back towards the barrier between platforms 9 and 10. Stumbling onto the platform, I was immediately engulfed in the thick steam from the Hogwarts Express, the sounds of people's voices echoing around me. Unlike so many times before, the students didn't sound excited to be going back to school- parents and children alike sounded anxious. As I wandered through the fog that obscured the station and its occupants, my mother now charming the trunk, as there were no Muggles around to see us, I heard a voice that shouldn't have been familiar to me, but which caused my stomach to give a jolt. I glanced around just as the steam began to thin for a second- and found myself only a few feet away from the Weasleys.

I stared at them, stunned for a moment out of my thoughts, frozen to the spot. They seemed not to notice me at first- at least not until my mother walked into me and the trunk fell onto the platform. All of the Weasleys who had accompanied Ginny to the station- her mother and two brothers, the same as two weeks previously- turned to stare at me, accusation in their brown eyes. I looked away from them, and my eyes fell on Ginny, who looked at me briefly and then turned away. Turning away also, I resumed my walk down the train until I found the Slytherin compartment. I did not want to be bothered with my Head Boy duties today.

As my mother heaved the trunk onto the train, I stood to one side, thinking. Ginny looked ill. She was definitely thinner, and her face was paler; the brightness of her hair remained undiminished, but it only emphasized her pale features. This was obviously due to the removal and imprisonment of her friend at the beginning of the Christmas holidays. I shuddered as I thought of the unexplained sounds coming from the basement of Malfoy Manor, and felt the familiar longing that it was some other captive being held down there, and not Lovegood.

It seemed an age before the express began to pull away from the station. It moved slowly, and I was able to permit my mother to kiss my cheek fleetingly before the train pulled me away from her. I glanced back at her as she stood alone of the platform, no other parent or family member going near her, and managed to make out the trail of tears flowing down her white face. I knew she regretted her harsh treatment of me as we had left the Manor, and decided it was her own fault- if she wasn't so het up about Father becoming more and more disinterested in us by the day, then she wouldn't have minded that he'd not come to see me off.

As the train gathered speed, I moved away from the window and headed towards the open compartment door that led to the seventh year Slytherins. I walked casually into the compartment, seemingly calm and relaxed, and smiled demurely at the sight of my friends clustered inside it. Pansy spotted me before anyone else, much to my regret, and I was from then on forced to sit beside her whilst she lovingly stroked my arm. I didn't move away from her- I decided it would pain her more when she saw Ginny and I together if she believed that I liked her.

"Good holiday, Draco?" asked Blaise, glancing sideways at Pansy with a look of vague disgust on his face, no doubt due to her behaviour.

"Relatively good, thank you Blaise," I drawled. "And yours?"

"It was satisfactory, no doubt," he replied, looking down at his wand, which he had been tending to with a wand servicing kit, which I guessed had been a present for Christmas. I knew how Blaise loved to keep everything perfect.

"Good to hear," I said, glad that the conversation was not of too much depth, meaning I didn't have to concentrate.

Unfortunately, this did not stay the case for long, as soon Blaise began to talk about the burning all of the Death Eaters had felt on Christmas Day, and what it could mean. None of them could remember feeling such a pain as that- I thought them lucky. They only had the pain from their Marks to contend with. I thought back to how I'd spent Christmas Day, writhing on the study floor in agonising pain as I was tortured for my lack of progress with Ginny, and sneered at their idiocy.

"What do you think it was, Draco?" asked Theo, watching me as I sneered out of the window.

"I don't know, do I? I wasn't paying too much attention to it, to be perfectly honest," I lied, not moving my gaze from the rain that pelted the window pane.

"I heard that something happened with Potter," said Blaise, not looking up from his wand.

"What?" I snapped suddenly, turning my head to stare at Blaise.

"Something happened with Potter," he repeated, clearly not paying all that much attention.

"Yes, I heard that bit. I meant _what happened with Potter_?" I enunciated every word clearly to get the point across and to illustrate the frustration I felt at his slowness, which I decided must be deliberately to annoy me.

"Calm down," Blaise smirked. "I don't know what happened with Potter, do I? I was just asking you that."

"Right," I mumbled, losing interest again and returning my gaze to the rain streaked window.

They continued to talk in what seemed to me were hushed tones; I paid as little attention as possible, and eventually even Pansy lost interest in my monosyllabic comments. When the train finally neared Hogsmeade and we were changing into our robes, I noticed that she was paying considerably more attention to Blaise than usual. She was glancing at me every few minutes, looking decidedly more pissed off with every minute that passed and I didn't display any jealousy at her switched affections.

When the train finally pulled into Hogsmeade, I was quick to get off, shoving little first years out of the way and pushing my way to the front of the rabble forcing their way towards the carriages. Throwing myself into one, I waited impatiently for the other seventh year Slytherins to join me. They seemed to be dawdling- again, I decided they were doing this deliberately to annoy me.

I wasn't paying attention. My mind was somewhere else, focusing on my plan. How was I meant to get Ginny alone to carry out the first part of my plan? The door swung open; illuminated in the moonlight, I could only see a vague outline of whoever it was. I glared at the mystery person, annoyed at having my solitude interrupted.

"Do you mind? Unless you're a seventh year Slytherin, get another carriage," I snapped.

"I'm so sorry," came the sarcastic reply.

The sarcasm was painfully familiar to me; I suddenly realised who the dark, shadowy person was.

"Ginny?" I asked, my annoyance giving way to a tight, knotting sensation in my stomach.

"Yeah, no crap," she replied, and I could tell she was rolling her eyes at me.

"Sorry, I didn't know it was you," I said, trying to make amends; my plan would not be any easier if I made her angry at me. "Do you want to… err… Do you want to join me?"

Despite the fact that I knew I had to talk to her and get her alone, and this meant getting her to somehow trust me, it still went against some part of my brain which was obsessed with my Pureblood heritage. I remembered my upbringing, how my mother and father had all but drilled it into me that we were better than the common Muggle Borns and Blood Traitors. Some part of me still believed that, and yet when I thought of her I felt nervous and confused. I hoped it was merely my fear of Him that was causing these feelings. I hoped it was the knowledge of my possible torture and death that made me feel nervous when I contemplated what would happen if my plan failed, or when I saw her, or thought of her, or fell into a dream about her…

"No," she replied.

I snapped out of my thoughts and focuses again on the shadowy figure at the carriage door.

"No?"

"No, I don't want to join you. I wouldn't join you in your carriage if this were the only carriage going up to the castle and it was a choice between sitting with you or swimming across the lake."

"You'd take the lake over the carriage just because I'm here?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at her in an amused fashion.

"Exactly."

"Just get in the carriage, Ginny."

"I beg your pardon?"

"Get in the carriage, what harm will it do you, really? Just get in, sit down- as far away from me as you can get, if you really want to- and we'll go up to the castle together."

"You honestly think you can talk me into getting into this damn carriage alone with you? You're more delusional than I thought, Malfoy."

I watched as she stalked away, and sighed a bit. I felt disappointed, but I couldn't tell if it was because I'd missed my chance to put my plan into action- or just because I'd missed my chance with talking to her.

"You ran off a bit fast there, Draco."

I looked once more at the carriage door, and saw Blaise and Theo pulling themselves in, closely followed by Pansy and two other girls. One was in my year, I recognised her from some of our classes, and knew she shared a dormitory with Pansy- she was called Daphne. Behind her came a younger girl.

"What's she doing?" I asked, indicating at the girl, who looked about 14 years old- too young to be joining our carriage.

"She's Daph's sister," replied Pansy coldly- clearly I wasn't yet forgiven for my ignorance towards her on the train.

"Yeah, so?"

"I said she could come with us. Problem, Draco?" asked Pansy, eyeing me with something close to disgust.

"Not at all," I replied, equally coldly and with a look of disgust to match hers.

"Calm down, guys," commented Theo, sitting himself down in the seat opposite mine.

"Where're Crabbe and Goyle? Didn't they come up here with you?" I asked, addressing Blaise now, but still fully aware of the scorching glare that Pansy was directing at me.

"I don't know, we lost them in the crowd; difficult really, considering how large they are."

Daphne and her sister gave small sniggers, and I glanced at them sideways, taking in their appearances. They looked alike- both had dark hair, which contrasted with their pale skin and made their large, dark eyes stand out. However, whilst Daphne was of a slightly more robust build, the younger one was slim, and although she was still growing, she seemed to be as tall as her older sister already.

The younger one caught me looking at her, and blushed. It was not an unpleasant colour that rose to her cheeks, as was usual with blushes- it made her appear all the more striking. And yet, she did not have the endearing freckles that Ginny had; her nose was not large, but it was larger than Ginny's, and it seemed slightly out of place for her face; her eyes, dark as they were, did not have the same sparkle, and her eyelashes were not as long or thick as Ginny's. I shook myself- why was I comparing this girl, this Pure-Blood girl, to a Blood-Traitor? Did I really prefer Ginny's flaming red hear to this girl's deep brown lock, waving in understated curls past her shoulders?

"This is Astoria, by the way. She's in fifth year" said Daphne, motioning towards her sister.

A nice name to match her nice face, I thought. Not as common place as Ginny. Not as Muggle.

"Cool," commented Theo, who was also looking at her.

I noticed the gleam in his eye as we passed through the gates and up onto the grounds of Hogwarts. It did not bother me, but I knew this girl would not settle for Theodore. I had some idea of her character from her looks, and from what I knew of her sister. She was a Pure-Blood, through and through, if she was as alike in her personality as her sister as she was her looks. She would not settle for someone who was as low in the pecking order as Theo. She would want someone with more money.

I looked at this girl, the fifteen year old Astoria Greengrass, and knew she was the type of girl my parents expected me to marry. I felt the tension once again knot in my stomach, and realised I did not want to marry a girl like Astoria. She was very pretty, yes, and it never hurt to be a Pure-Blood. But right at that moment, my thoughts could not stray from Ginny.

Ginny-

"You honestly think you can talk me into getting into this damn carriage alone with you? You're more delusional than I thought, Malfoy."

With this, I turned on my heel and headed to a different carriage, in which I found a couple of Gryffindor sixth year students. I climbed inside, greeted the others, and then fell silent, not listening to their comparisons of their Christmas holidays. I didn't really want to think about my holidays.

Instead, I thought about Malfoy, and his behaviour, which had obviously not changed over the break. He was still acting strangely, and my head was reeling from the confusion of it all. I thought about my mum, and my dad, and my brothers. Was Ron ok, wherever he was? And Harry, and Hermione? I thought of Harry. I wondered if he still thought about me, and I wondered about my feelings about him. I hadn't seen him since the disappearance at Bill's wedding (hardly surprising). I was worried, of course, but I couldn't decide if I was worried about him in a boyfriend/ girlfriend kind of way, or if it was just a brotherly/sisterly way. What if I didn't feel the same when all this was over, but he did?

Finally, the carriage stopped, and I climbed back out of the carriage and made my way with the throng of students towards the entrance hall and, beyond it, the Great Hall.

"Ginny!"

Hearing my name, I turned, with much difficulty, to find the person who was calling me. Neville appeared out of the mass of students, and when he reached me he gave me an encouraging smile. Together, we continued up to the Great Hall, selected our seats at Gryffindor table, and waited as the other students filed in and, slowly, the hall filled up.

Glancing over at the Slytherin table, I saw a girl in the year below me talking with Malfoy. She was laughing at something he had just said, and from the look on Parkinson's face, I assumed the girl was flirting with him. I looked at Malfoy, expecting to see something like triumph or smugness of his pale face, but instead he appeared confused, as though he wasn't focusing on his conversation with the girl. As though he could feel me watching him, he looked up, meeting my eyes. He smiled slightly- not a smirk, like usual, or a sneer, but what seemed a sincere smile. I felt myself go red. It felt as though I wasn't in control of my expressions; I found myself smiling uncertainly back at him.

"So," said Neville, and the strange spell was broken.

I looked at Neville, then back at Malfoy to find that he was back in conversation with the girl. Neville appeared not to have noticed anything.

"How's your brother's ear?"

"Well, he hasn't got one," I commented.

"You know what I mean," smiled Neville.

His smile was strained, and I could see that it didn't reach his eyes. I smiled back, and felt the same tension that Neville seemed to feel.

"He's fine, they're both still working at the joke shop," I replied.

"That's good. With all that's going on right now, most people have shut up shop and gone into hiding. I'm glad there are still some people out there who aren't giving in to fear."

A fierce gleam was in Neville's eye now, and I shushed him quickly- we didn't need to get into trouble with Snape or the Carrows this early into the new term.

A painful silence suddenly engulfed the now filled hall, and we turned to see Snape standing at the Headmaster's chair, his face looking pallid and sallow as usual, although we could see, even from this distance, the dark bags under his eyes, indicating that he wasn't sleeping well. Good.

"Welcome back," he began, and his cold voice rang out across the hall. "I trust you all enjoyed your break. I would like to reiterate a few school rules, refresh your memories on some of the finer points of the workings of this school."

He began to lecture us in his slow voice, the pauses that always cropped up in his speech pattern occurring frequently. I stopped listening, and merely stared at him blankly. I didn't even hear him mention his warning of what would happen if anyone knew the whereabouts of Harry and didn't come forward. I remained statue like and deaf to his words, and only moved when he had resumed his seat and food had appeared on the plates in front of us.

Without seeing, I pulled a plate of chicken towards me and began to eat. As I had discovered over the holidays, the food had no taste. I felt as though I was eating cardboard, and struggled to swallow each mouthful. It was a minute or so before I realised that Neville was whispering to me urgently.

"-continue with the DA this term?"

"Sorry, Neville," I said apologetically. "What was that?"

Neville glanced at me, looking just a touch hurt, before continuing.

"Well, I was just wondering if you were continuing with the DA this term?"

"Oh, right. Well, of course I am," I said, a little stunned that he even had to consider it a possibility that I wouldn't come back to the rebel group. "I promised I would stay right at the start, and I'm not leaving now, not after what happened to Luna."

Neville went white at the mention of Luna's name, but he nodded in agreement.

"You're right. Luna wouldn't have wanted us to quit. She'd have wanted us to carry on with it."

I nodded, but quickly shushed Neville- I had just noticed the Carrows. Instead of them eating dinner at the staff table, they were patrolling around the hall, listening to any conversations being had and generally making sure that these conversations didn't go in what they considered a negative direction. The female Carrow was far too close for comfort by the time I'd realised she was even there at all, but thankfully she didn't seem to have noticed anything was wrong. She gave Neville a look of such loathing as she passed us that I was surprised he didn't burst into flames. As it was, he merely stared back at her coldly, his face displaying no emotion- a blank mask with eyes burning in it. It was unnerving to look at; even Carrow quickly moved on.

When at long last we were permitted to leave the hall, and the students of Hogwarts did so in such silence that you could have heard a pin drop, if not for the loud laughs and conversations of the Slytherin students. They had been the only ones to make any considerable noise throughout the whole evening, their laughs rebounding off the walls of the hall, making it echo in my head, giving me a headache.

As I walked slowly out of the hall, I accidentally bumped into someone. Turning slightly to apologise, I saw that it was the Slytherin girl who had been talking to Malfoy. She was glaring at me furiously.

"Watch where you're going," she spat, her eyes burning into mine.

"I was about to apologise, but now I see it's just some Slytherin scum, I don't think I'll bother," I retorted.

She looked all the more furious, and an insipid rink colour rose in her pallid cheeks, making her look like a clown. She had a large nose, disproportionate to her face, and beetle black eyes which seemed dead. I realised she was Daphne Greengrass's younger sister, and despised her all the more.

"You alright?" came a drawling voice from behind her, and I saw Malfoy once again.

"Oh, Draco," smiled Greengrass, her voice becoming sickeningly sweet.

I raised an eyebrow in distain.

"You want to teach your little girlfriend some manners, Malfoy," I said coldly.

I was confused to feel a wrenching in my chest as I labelled her as his girlfriend, and realised with a shock that this wrenching was scarily similar to how I'd felt when Harry had been seeing Cho.

"You alright, Ginny?" Malfoy asked, concern on his face, something which confused me all the more.

"Of course I am," I snapped, and I turned at once, intending to stride away from him and Greengrass; unfortunately, the double doors of the hall which were my only escape from this strange situation were still blocked with the hundreds of students filing out of them.

"For God's sake," I muttered under my breath- I was obviously trapped near the two of them until the congestion of students began to thin.

Behind me, Greengrass was chatting away to Malfoy; she sounded so desperate, a simpering, soppy little girl. I had to remind myself that she was indeed only a little girl- she was only in her fifth year. But she was a Pure-Blood, exactly the kind of person Malfoy would go for. Why did this bother me? Why did this make me feel hot and sick?

Finally, I managed to break away from the crowd and ran off towards Gryffindor tower. As I reached the top of the stairs and was about to round a corner and disappear from sight, I glanced back. Greengrass had attached herself to Malfoy, her arm threaded through his, but Malfoy was not seemingly paying her a bit of attention. He was watching me as I stood at the top of the stairs, and I watched him as he walked towards the dungeons, arm in arm with Greengrass. I felt sick and confused. So, so confused.

**A/N:**

**I know. I know it's been forever since I updated (although I don't actually know if anyone reads this anyway- certainly, no one seems to bother reviewing). I apologise if this chapter seems bad. I've been up to my eyeballs in coursework for the past few months, and at work every night until 7pm, so I've been struggling to find time to write this, and when I have found time it's only been a couple of minutes here and there, so if it's a bit disjointed that's why. Please forgive me for the lateness of my update, and I hope you enjoy this newest chapter of "Draco's Mission".**

**Beccari xxx**


	13. Chapter 13

Draco-

January passed into February without anything of significance happening. I was still struggling to talk to Ginny, and so my plan was as of yet uncompleted- or even started. However, I had noticed that someone else was paying me particularly close attention.

Over the past few weeks, Astoria Greengrass had been appearing at almost every corner I turned. If I did not know that Apparition in Hogwarts was impossible, I would have said she was Apparating to wherever I was before I actually got there myself. She seemed to have memorised my timetable- she was in front of every classroom I was due to be in before I made it there myself, and was there when I left again. She had an annoying habit of sitting next to me during meals and at breaks and gazing at me, fluttering her long eyelashes in a way that made me wonder, the first time I saw it, if she had something in her eye.

Pansy seemed incredibly put out with this new attention I was receiving- she watched Astoria through narrowed eyes whenever Astoria was talking to me, and would often cut across whatever she was saying so as to get her own opinion in. Astoria seemed to remain blissfully unaware of Pansy's distaste however; in fact, she paid her almost no attention what so ever. I heard Pansy remark one evening to one of her friends that she regretted ever saying Astoria could share our carriage up to Hogwarts that first night back. This made me smirk.

Although I had not exactly been talking to Ginny much, she did seem to be around me more often; she, like a watered down Astoria, would appear sometimes, and I never failed to notice her. Every time she was near, I smiled and tried to strike up a conversation. On the rare times that this worked, however, Astoria would suddenly be at my side, her eyes narrowed as she looked at Ginny, and Ginny would stick her chin in the air slightly, like she always did when she found a situation to be to her distaste, and would then stalk off. After these incidents, she would not even look in my direction for at least a few days. This perplexed me slightly- was Ginny jealous of Astoria?

The corridors were more subdued nowadays. The Carrows patrolled them during the day when they were not in lessons, inflicting some form of pain on a student for not tucking in their shirt, or for having messy hair, or for breathing to loudly. They left the Slytherins well alone, not bothering with us at all. The Gryffindors, Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs frequently felt their displeasure though- Gryffindors more so than the others, which was unsurprising, considering that the Carrows had once been Slytherins, and so had a natural hatred for all those in Gryffindor. I was slightly perturbed that this hatred no longer seemed to apply to me- at least, not in regards to one Gryffindor student.

Before I knew what was happening, Valentine's Day was suddenly nearly upon us, and I had made no plans. I had not even reached the point in my plot to win Ginny that I had hoped- I was seriously behind, and my Mark burned furiously, showing me that the Dark Lord was aware of my continued failure, and was not at all happy.

Both Astoria and Pansy hinted so heavily that they wanted to be my date on Valentine's Day when we went to Hogsmeade that they were not so much as hinting, rather telling me what to do. I ignored both of them, although I did consider taking Astoria; she was indeed a very pretty girl, and I liked her vivacious attitude and the ready devotion she had for me. I did not even contemplate Pansy. Ever since I had made the mistake of asking her to the Yule Ball in our fourth year, she had taken it into her head that every occasion that required a date from then on would see her at my side, and my arm around her. I did not find her remotely attractive; she had neither Astoria's pure-bred beauty, nor Ginny's wit and charm. Here I stopped myself- Ginny's wit and charm should not enter into my thoughts until I had secured her as my own. And so I pushed to one side any small feelings I now held for Astoria, and I approached Ginny one afternoon.

It was not raining, as is usual for February- it was cold, but the winter sun still shone in the sky, its warm rays not quite reaching us here on the crispy, frost covered ground of Hogwarts. It was lunch time- several students were milling around the courtyard in small groups; young girls, arm in arm, giggling together at nothing in particular, boys scuffing their shoes against a wall. Any activities carried out, however, were done so in a watered down version of how they should be, and from this I knew that the fear of the war that was currently raging within and outside of the walls of Hogwarts was never far from anyone's mind.

Mainly, the students had chosen to stay inside, as they did not wish to be outside in the brittle weather. I had feared that Ginny would be one of these students, and then I would be unable to talk to her; thankfully she was standing by a gap in the courtyard, and was staring out over the frosty grounds towards the Forbidden Forest. There was a slight breeze, and the wind blew tendrils of her red hair around her delicately. I had a strange thought pass through my mind fleetingly- how nice it would be to tuck that beautiful hair behind her ear, smoothing it out of her pale face, so as to better see the chocolate brown eyes… I bit the insides of my mouth to bring me back to earth, and headed straight over to her, stopping just short of her. If she sensed me there, or had heard me approach, she gave no indication of it.

"Err-" I began, unsure of how to proceed.

An awkward silence fell, in which she still did not look towards me. I watched as she took a deep breath, and felt as my cheeks turned the pale pink they always did when I was embarrassed.

"Hi," she said suddenly, quietly, and yet to me her voice rang like a bell, musical and sweet in the cold, winter air.

"Hi," I replied breathlessly.

Now she turned towards me, and her face was flushed from the cold. It was not unattractive- quite the opposite, in fact. She smiled unsurely, her eyes betraying a feeling that did not match the smile; I could not place the emotion. Nevertheless, I smiled back, equally unsure. This was surely a good sign.

"I… er…" I stammered, wondering how to approach the subject.

She raised one eyebrow at me, looking vaguely amused.

"Yes?"

"I… well, you know… Valentine's Day is this weekend, and… umm…"

Her eyebrows now shot up in surprise, her eyes widening. I lost my nerve.

"Never mind," I mumbled, and turned to leave.

"Wait," she said; I froze, torn.

Either I turned around now and asked her on the date that would set my plan in motion, or I carried on and walked away from her and what could be my only chance to save my life. I turned back around.

"Valentine's Day. You, me, Hogsmeade," I blurted, ignoring my racing heart and sweaty palms.

"Oh," she said, and I saw the familiar amusement mingled with scorn that so often played on her face when she was confronted with a situation that she didn't quite know how to approach. "Well…"

"Come on, Ginny, what harm is it going to do, really?" I beseeched- instantly I knew I'd said the wrong thing.

"What harm is it going to do?" she repeated, and she now looked both stunned and furious at the same time. "What harm is a date with you going to do? You're a Death Eater! And I'm the ex-girlfriend of Harry Potter, who is fighting against you every single day!"

"How do you know he's fighting against us? He's gone and disappeared," I retorted, stung by the reminder of whom she really belonged with.

"How dare you?" she hissed furiously. "Harry is out there, fighting against you, fighting for people like me- how can you even suggest that he isn't?"

"Well, come on, look at the facts," I said. "We go traipsing into your brother's wedding, smash the place up searching for him, and what does he do? Apparate out of there, taking his pathetic friends with him and no one has seen or heard from him since- well, unless you count that stupid break in at the Ministry, which almost went so wrong that he got caught by Yaxley. Then that idiot Granger shows Yaxley how to get into their hideout by accident, and then they disappeared again! They're not doing any good, Ginny! They're wandering around who knows where doing nothing!"

"You… you…" she seemed unable to get her words out, and I immediately regretted my outburst.

"I'm sorry," I quickly muttered, the words being forced out against my will- Draco Malfoy never said sorry.

"You're a bastard," she snapped, and, turning on her heel, she started to walk away, chin held up high.

I grappled with myself momentarily before I realised there could only be one way to get this date in place, and thus my plan in action. Pulling out my wand, I directed it straight at her and whispered "_Imperius"_. I made her turn back around and walk back towards me. She looked blissfully unaware of everything, and her eyes were dim in the mask that suddenly covered her normally lively features.

"I'll ask you this again," I said quietly to her, and she nodded dumbly. "Valentine's Day, you and me in Hogsmeade. Yes?"

Ginny nodded again, her face blank except for a silly smile that stayed firmly in place. I felt sick- this was not the Ginny I knew. I'd turned her into something that I never wanted- but this was my life on the line. I had to do this. It was either a quick Imperius on one girl or torture into insanity and then death for my entire family. There was no contest over which one won.

I let her leave, allowing part of the Imperius curse to leave her also, so that she still had some recollection of her activities and it did not appear as though she was cursed. She stumbled slightly as she left, but quickly regained her usual step, and I watched as she walked back up to the castle in a slightly haughty manner that suggested she was annoyed with something.

"I saw what you did there," came a voice from my left, and I jumped.

Blaise stepped out from behind a half ruined pillar, his face impassive. I watched him warily as he moved to my side and watched with me as Ginny entered the castle. Only when she'd vanished from sight did he turn to me.

"I saw that," he repeated.

"Saw what?" I asked, mouth dry.

"You put the Imperius curse on the Weaslette."

"Did I?"

"You know you did."

"What does it matter to you?" I snapped, suddenly annoyed with him.

Did he not understand how important it was that I won this girl? Did he not realise that I had a good reason for what I had done?

"You know I don't like her."

"So what? It's nothing to do with you."

"Draco," he said, suddenly serious, and I looked round at him, not quite meeting his eyes. "I don't know what you are up to. I don't know if you actually like her, or if this is just some little play, like entertainment for you, but you have to be careful with your methods here. That curse is illegal, and not the right way to win the affections of any girl, even a Blood-Traitor."

"You're worried about the illegalities of the Imperius curse?" I said, almost laughing at his ridiculous statement. "You're worried about that? Honestly, we are Death Eaters. We have done worse, and will do worse, than the Imperius curse."

"That is not the point, Draco. We use it for different reasons- proper reasons. We don't use it for getting girlfriends. And why pick such an awful girl anyway? What's wrong with Pansy?"

"You know how I feel about Pansy."

Blaise chuckled reluctantly at this, and nodded.

"Yeah, you're right. Pansy is annoying."

"And a bitch."

"You sound like a girl, but yes, and a bitch," he agreed, chuckling again. "Ok, not Pansy. What's wrong with Astoria?"

"Astoria?"

"Yes, you know, the attractive fifteen year old, sister of Daphne, in our year," said Blaise, rolling his eyes.

"I know who she is," I said. "What does she have to do with anything though?"

"She's a Pure-Blood- and an attractive one at that. She'd be the perfect choice for the girlfriend of the regal Malfoy heir- and yet you choose the Blood-Traitor! Daughter of a Muggle-loving fool, sister of Potter's best friend- and Potter's ex-girlfriend! What on earth possessed you to choose her, when you could have had the pick of the girls? When you could have had _Astoria_?"

"You do not understand, and I cannot explain it to you now," I snapped. "But you must realise I have a good reason for this."

"I should hope you do have a good reason for this. Do your parents know?"

"Yes, they know. They do not approve, but they know better than to contradict it- do you understand now, Blaise? I am not chasing her because I desire her- I am chasing her because I have no choice."

Blaise suddenly seemed to comprehend- at least, the expression on his face seemed to say that he did, and he confirmed this only moments later. Thankfully, before we could get into any more depth about the Ginny issue, the bell sounded throughout the castle, loud and echoing, signalling us to return from our lunch break and continue with our lessons. As I had a free period, I headed back to the Slytherin common room, where I stayed for the rest of the day, skipping dinner.

I felt sick at what I had resorted to in order to win Ginny's affections. I had promised myself I would not stoop so low, and yet I had gone against my own word and committed something that made me feel physically repulsed at myself. I had never resorted to such methods to win a girl before- but then, I had always been able to win any girl I wanted just by looking at them. Look at what had happened with Astoria- I had only met her a month ago, and yet I had succeeded in securing her affections in one night.

Ginny was much more difficult; it could have been something to do with our natures- she was so different to me. She had a fiery nature to match her red hair, and she was fierce- she knew what she wanted, and she knew what she didn't, and they were very distinctive and secure in her mind. I was not exactly docile, but I was more laid back about most things- things that didn't threaten my life, that is. I could change my mind on subjects if I realised I was wrong- I was not as stubborn as she was.

It was late when I finally reached the conclusion I had been searching for. I decided the reason it had been so difficult to even get this far with Ginny was because of Potter- her precious Potter, disappeared into the night but not from her thoughts. She was loyal to him, as any girlfriend should be to their other half. And despite the fact that he had dumped her the previous year- I had watched from the shade of a distant tree, feeling amused by the hurt that was obviously coursing through them- I knew that she still thought of him as her boyfriend, or believed they would one day return to that relationship status. This was the reason I had struggled in securing her affections. She was not meant for me. I had always believed something along the lines of fate, of destiny if you will, and so I knew that it was not her fate, not her destiny, to be mine. I was going against this fate. I was messing with how things should be. And so, all things considered, was I really surprised at how difficult it had been just to get a date with the girl?

Ginny-

Something was wrong with my brain. Parts of my day were unaccounted for; I remembered arguing with Malfoy, but I didn't remember returning to my dormitory after the argument, and I was unsure of how it had resolved, although something about it made me feel nauseous every time I tried to recall how we had parted.

Although initially I began to worry if I was being possessed again, like all those years ago when You Know Who's soul had come out of the diary and made me do those awful things, I soon realised that this was probably not the case. Who was there to possess me? You Know Who had returned to full power and was wreaking havoc, outside and inside the walls of Hogwarts, so he had no need to possess the minds and bodies of people in order to get what he wanted done. So I ruled out this possibility.

Sitting alone in the common room that night, I found myself coming in and out of focus with my surroundings, feeling emotions that were not my own and did not correspond with the situation sometimes passing through me. At one moment I felt guilty, at another I felt worried, and before I went to bed I felt an overwhelming sense of understanding, as though I had figured out the solution to a problem I had been puzzling over for a long time. I found short gaps in my memory here as well- I couldn't account for at least half an hour, when I put all my blank moments together, and yet I knew I had not left the common room; each time I had only been out of it for a minute or two, and so clearly I could not have been getting up to anything dangerous or even against my bidding in that time.

My dreams that night were riddled with confusion. I darted from place to place, followed sometimes by demons who I did not know, and other times in the company of friends. Waking in the morning, I found myself feeling unrested, and discovered, whilst getting ready, that I had bags under my eyes.

Neville met me in the common room, and we went down to breakfast together. He was quiet, and I noticed that he too had large bags under his eyes. He had been different since coming back to Hogwarts, and I knew why. He blamed himself for Luna's kidnapping, believing that if he hadn't been knocked unconscious he could have saved her. This, of course, was stupid to believe; we had not had a chance against the two full grown Death Eaters, and were therefore lucky to still be alive. However, no matter how much I tried to reason this to him, he refused to believe it, allowing himself to continue feeling the overwhelming guilt that I knew gnawed at him all day and most of the night.

As a result, breakfast passed quietly. For reasons I could not comprehend, I found myself continuously glancing at Malfoy, causing me to wonder even more about what had transpired between us yesterday. Again, I felt myself slip in and out of conscious thoughts, although I knew I had not moved from my seat. Neville seemed to notice in the end, and questioned me about it.

"Ginny, what's wrong? You keep going funny," he said, his voice sounding cracked from exhaustion.

"Nothing's wrong, Neville. I don't know, maybe I'm just tired," I said, reassuring myself as much as I was him.

He let the subject drop. When the bell went for the start of the day, he rushed off without even saying goodbye. I knew he was offended by my strange manner, but I couldn't be bothered with it. I had to find Malfoy, and question him about what had happened the day before.

Malfoy was waiting outside to hall, tied up in a very one way conversation with Parkinson. I didn't hesitate in approaching him, and enjoyed the furious glare of Parkinson as I drew his attention away from her.

"Malfoy, I need to talk to you," I said, not skirting around the issue.

"Talk to me then," he drawled, a lazy smirk playing on his pale face.

"Privately," I hissed, allowing myself to glare back at Parkinson, who now looked on the brink of an emotional breakdown.

Malfoy consented that we could talk in private, and so we began to walk away from Parkinson.

"Draco?" she called after us, and I glanced back to see her looking utterly bemused.

Malfoy didn't even look back, merely raised a hand in farewell to Parkinson, who then trotted off to her lesson, looking more confused and hurt than ever I'd seen her. Good.

"What's up then, Ginny?" asked Malfoy when we had got a good distance from anyone.

"What… erm, I mean, how…"

Now that I had him in front of me to question him, I suddenly realised how ridiculous and insane I was going to sound if I questioned something that had practically just passed between us. I watched as his smirk grew, and his grey eyes glinted with amusement. As much as I wanted to punch him for being so infuriating, something stirred in my stomach, and I recognised the butterfly feeling I had always felt around Harry.

"Looking forward to Valentine's, Ginny?" he asked, looking ever more amused.

"Valentine's?" I repeated, confused.

"Yes, Valentine's- remember, our date?"

"Our _date_?"

"Are you a parrot? Yes, our date. You agreed to go on a date with me to Hogsmeade on Valentine's Day."

"What are you talking about, Malfoy?" I snapped. "As if I'd agree to go on a date with you!"

"Well, you did. And perhaps, in light of the circumstances, you should call me Draco, and not Malfoy."

"I'll call you something else in a minute, you little…"

"Miss Weasley, if you would care to pay attention!"

I blinked, confused. McGonagall was glaring at me from the front of the classroom, and almost everyone was turning in the seats to stare at me. A whisper carried around the room, and several people giggled. What on earth? Only seconds ago I had been having an argument with Draco, and now I was sitting in Transfiguration class? I blinked again- had I really just referred to him as Draco?

"Miss Weasley, are you quite well?" snapped McGonagall.

"Y-yes, Professor," I stuttered, trying to get my head around what was going on.

"Then if you would be so kind as to pay attention to the lesson, and attempt to transfigure your hedgehog into a pin cushion!"

Another giggle went around the class.

"And as for the rest of you, if you could please return to your own work immediately," snapped McGonagall.

Instantly the class grew more subdued as they returned to the arduous task of turning the rolled up, hissing ball of spikes in front of them into an attractive pin cushion. Desperately, I tried to recall the last- how long had it been since the scene in the hallway with Draco? Regardless, I couldn't remember a thing. And yet something had one again transpired between us that I couldn't remember, and so I was left with yet another gaping hole in my memory and struggling to keep my hedgehog still enough to transfigure it without puncturing my hand by holding it still.

It seemed an age before the bell went for lunch, echoing throughout the castle and inside my jumbled thoughts. I wandered down to lunch absentmindedly, not really paying attention to what I was doing or where I was going, only stopping when I walked head first into a statue of armour, which clanked and groaned at me in frustration. Rubbing the bump that was raising quickly on my head, I now paid more attention to where I was headed; when I fell into a seat at the Gryffindor table, my head was throbbing fit to burst.

I wasn't hungry. My headache was enough that it drove any physical needs from my mind, and all I could think about was disappearing to my dormitory and not resurfacing for a long time to come- perhaps when the war was over I might emerge, but until then, I wondered if I could get one of the kitchen's house-elves to bring me a sandwich every now and then, if I grew hungry. But no, I reasoned- the other girls would keep barging in and out of the dorm all the time. I'd never get any peace if I stayed up there. Nevertheless, I pushed myself back to my feet, vowing to stay in my dorm, if not until the war was over, then at least until lunch time had passed.

As I walked towards the huge double doors leading out of the hall, I hazily noticed Draco enter the hall, discussing with Zabini about something to do with one of their subjects. Actually, they were very hazy. I watched as Draco swam in and out of view, and then noticed that the floor was moving up towards me in slow motion. A muffled shriek from a few girls closest to me sounded, and I suddenly hit, with immense force, the stone paving. Blackness engulfed me.

"Concussion… minor fracture… seems very confused…"

"Has she been awake then?"

"Yes, yes- or at least, partially. Mumbling some nonsense about her pet Pygmy Puff, says he needs to be fed and she has to leave here immediately!"

"Yes, well, we all worry about our pets, Poppy…"

"Minerva, she is not in her right mind! I gave her a sleeping potion, I don't know when she'll come around, could be any time now-"

I groaned, confused. I was lying in a soft bed, with a white haze all around me, and I could hear the voices of McGonagall and Madam Pomfrey as they discussed someone, but I couldn't pin point where I was.

"Hush now, hush now! She's coming to!" hissed Madam Pomfrey, and suddenly her head appeared out of the white haze.

"Where am I?" I mumbled, trying to sit up.

My head throbbed violently, causing me to fall back against my pillows at the shock of the pain.

"The hospital wing- now don't sit up, silly girl! You need rest! Quite a nasty bump you had!" said Madam Pomfrey as she fussed over my pillows and straightened my blanket.

"Nasty bump?" I repeated.

"Yes, Miss Weasley," said McGonagall, who now also appeared out of the white haze, which I now realised was the curtains placed around my bed to screen me from view. "It seems, according to a rather put out suit of armour on the first floor, that you walked head long into it, causing yourself to suffer from a mild concussion- the force with which you attacked the armour must have been quite great! Upon attempting the exit the hall, you fell unconscious- you suffered a minor fracture to your skull upon hitting the flagstones."

"Fracture?" I repeated dumbly.

"Not to worry, dear, I fixed it in a moment!" said Madam Pomfrey, smiling reassuringly.

"Then why does it still hurt?" I grumbled, and she tutted in an amused fashion.

"Never pleased- I fix your skull and don't even get a word of thanks! No, no, dear, I'm only joking-" she hastened to add, as I had started to apologise for my seemingly rude behaviour. "It's going to hurt for a little while still- that was quite a spectacular bump you had- if Mr Malfoy hadn't have got you down here as quickly as he did, I would have expected some serious memory loss on your part!"

"Mr Malfoy?" I repeated.

"Yes dear, Draco Malfoy- he was closest when you fell, and brought you straight down here. Now," she said, tutting again, "I always thought him a bit of a drama queen- moaning and groaning at the tiniest scrape- and then I thought him to be quite a horrible young man, after last year…" her voice faltered as she recalled the events of the end of the previous school year- "But he was quite chivalrous to have taken it upon himself to get you down here," she finished, busying herself now with the jumble of medicines she was placing on my bedside cabinet.

"Yeah, chivalrous…" I muttered, not paying attention.

I didn't have much time to think about Draco that day. I didn't want to at any rate- thinking just made my head hurt more. So I was sitting in my bed, staring blankly at the pictures on the wall and thinking about nothing, when I got a visitor. I didn't even know he was there until he cleared his throat and made me jump.

"Hey, Ginny," smiled Neville sheepishly.

"Neville," I said, trying not to sound deflated- I had hoped someone else might drop in… but no, Neville was here, my good friend Neville.

"How're you feeling?" he asked, sounding concerned.

"My head hurts," I said, noticing how thick my voice sounded to me, like I had a cold.

"How long till you're out?"

"I dunno Neville, ask Pomfrey," I said, motioning limply with one hand towards her office.

"Yeah, I will- when you're out, I was planning some more stuff for the DA, you know?" he whispered, his face lighting up as he spoke.

I had to fight not to scowl.

"Neville, right now, I don't want to talk about the DA, or about anything that makes me think, ok? My head really hurts, and I don't want to be rude, but I want some privacy for a little bit," I said, trying to talk softly so he wouldn't get his feelings hurt.

It didn't work. As he got up and said goodbye, he sounded significantly upset with me- but I couldn't care about that now, not without thinking about it. So I merely watched him leave the wing, and then returned to the pictures. I almost groaned out loud when I heard someone else enter the wing and plonk themselves down in the seat next to me.

"Feeling better?"

Even with my befuddled and painful head, I still recognised the slight scorn in the tone, and knew that my new visitor had a smirk placed firmly on his face.

"Heaps," I replied sarcastically, turning slightly to regard Draco coolly.

"Is that any way to speak to your rescuer?" he asked, the smirk growing ever more pronounced.

"No, but it is the way to speak to someone you don't like," I retorted, my comeback sounding weak.

"If you don't like me then I guess our date is off? Unless you don't want our date to be off, and let's face it, it would be a lot easier if our date was still in place, as I've already made arrangements…"

"Yes. I mean no. I mean, the date- we didn't have a date- arranged what?"

"Don't hurt yourself, Ginny," said Draco, mock wincing at my confusion. "Well, any more than you already have, at any rate."

"Ever the charmer," I replied, trying and failing to sound scornful.

"So, the date?" he said, drawing my limited attention span back to the previous topic.

"Whatever- what'll make you leave me alone? This is making my head hurt even more," I complained.

"Excellent!" he grinned. "So, our date is on, and I shall meet you to take a carriage down to Hogsmeade early Valentine's Day morning."

"What?"

"That's what will make me leave- consent to our date on Valentine's."

"Why are you even… oh, I don't care. Fine, I _consent_. But I won't have a good time, and I will make sure that it's miserable for you as well. Now, go away, I want to sleep."

"Whatever you say," he drawled, and once again the chair became vacant and I was left on my own.

It wasn't until my headache had faded that I realised what I had promised- I was going on a date with my ex-boyfriend's school enemy on Valentine's Day. Harry could never find out.

**Updates- I am sorry I haven't been updating, I've been having college problems, family problems, pet problems… all in all, a very eventful and somewhat stressful past month- I also had my 19****th**** birthday, which was good. I promise promise promise to try and update this more often, but I am currently revising for an exam, which is in a couple of weeks, so until that's out of the way I will be focusing solely on revision. The reason why I don't think this chapter is brilliant is because of that very reason- revision taking priority, and this being written in tiny segments when I have a spare 10 minutes. So, I'm sorry about the lack of updates, and I'm sorry about what I feel is the less than brilliant quality of this chapter, but as ever I hope you all like it.**

**Thank you to the people who reviewed my last chapter, I really appreciate it, and getting a new review always brightens up my mood- so, once again, please leave reviews- tell me what you like, what you don't, how I can improve etc. Just give me some feedback!**

**Love, Beccari xxx**


	14. Chapter 14

Draco-

Valentine's Day was only two days away. I was sitting in the library- a rare phenomenon- worrying about carrying out my little plan. My Mark was burning less just recently; I had written to my mother the previous week informing her of my Valentine's plans, which I presumed had reached the ears of my father- and, therefore, the ears of the Dark Lord. In fact, as I thought about it, I realised my Mark hadn't burnt since the day after I had sent my letter, which was approximately the day it had arrived at the Manor.

Someone threw themselves down into the vacant seat beside me, causing me to jump. Blaise grinned at me; he was looking distinctly ruffled. His shirt was undone a couple of buttons, and his tie was dangling loosely. I raised an eyebrow at his appearance, and he grinned all the more.

"Daphne just cornered me," he said, looking very much like we had in our third year, when we'd been learning how to do Cheering Charms.

"You poor thing," I said disdainfully, not envying him one bit- whilst her sister was incredibly good looking, Daphne was… well, a dimmed down version of Astoria.

Blaise's grin flickered, and I noted a faint glimmer of anger in his eye as he stared at me.

"Actually, I think it was very much poor _her_- she won't be walking straight for a week, if you catch what I mean," he said, a satisfied smirk now playing across his features.

"No, I don't," I said, choosing to wind him up.

"As least I'm getting some action," he scoffed.

"Shut up," I said, although it didn't bother me; I knew once I had Ginny, I'd be getting _plenty_ of the action that Blaise was talking about.

"Still holding out for Ginny, Draco? The little Blood Traitor? Yes, what a good choice- at least _mine_ was a Pureblood."

"Ginny is a Pureblood- albeit a strange one," I replied, going back to the open book in front of me.

"She's scum, Draco. You've got Pureblood Slytherin girls practically queuing up for you, take your bloody pick!"

"You know how important it is that I get Ginny!" I snapped. "We've been over this before, Blaise, and I have no desire to continue to relive the conversation!"

"But Draco, _Astoria!_ She's practically _gagging_ for you! She'd do anything you bloody asked- a snap of those feminine little fingers of yours and she'd be on slap the Dark Lord!"

"Don't be so ridiculous, Blaise, no woman would do that for any man, no matter how desirable he may be."

"You're not that desirable," he smirked, "I'm just saying that Astoria seems to think you are- look, I know how important the Weaslette is for the Dark Lord's plan, but other than the two of us and Weaslette, who else knows?"

"No one outside of His inner most circle, but what are you getting at?" I asked, raising my eyebrow at him again.

"Stop doing that, you look idiotic," he said, raising his eyebrow in mocking.

"Shut up, just tell me what you're going on about," I snapped, trying to keep my eyebrows level.

"Well, do what you want with Weaslette- but keep it secret! Only the Dark Lord and those in his inner most circle know now- why not keep it that way? Then you can still be with someone respectable for the public eye!"

"Who cares about the public eye?"

"You should! You don't honestly believe she'll choose you over Potter when he eventually shows his face again, do you? She'll go running back to him, no matter what tricks you have over her, and you know it- and then who respectable will want to touch you? Everyone in the entire Pureblood community will know what you've done- _who_ you've done. They won't want anything to do with you- I'm considering cutting all ties myself," he said, finishing jokingly.

"Cut as many ties with me as you like Blaise, but I still don't quite see why I should keep any relationship I have with Ginny a secret," I replied.

"Astoria," he said simply, watching me carefully.

"We're onto that subject again? For God's sake, Blaise, don't let your new girlfriend hear how obsessed you are with her little sister- I don't think it would be at all good for your relationship."

"No, you idiot. Astoria! You fancy her, don't bother denying it, Malfoy," he said, smirking again.

"I _fancy_ her? What are we, 12 year old Hufflepuff girls? Really," I scoffed.

"Skirting over the initial subject, Draco- you're just proving me right, you know."

"Proving you right about what? If you're going to behave in such a childish manner, you can fuck off; I don't have time for this, I have a date to plan."

"Draco, for God's sake yourself! When Weaslette goes back to Potter, what are you going to do?" he asked, leaning towards me now to show he was being serious.

I sat still in my chair, hands clenched so that the knuckles were white. I knew she would go back to him, before the Dark Lord eventually killed him. He couldn't stay in hiding forever, and when he came back out into the open, once Ginny was of age, then who was to stop her going with him back into seclusion again, if he managed once again to escape His clutches?

"I don't know," I answered quietly.

"Then listen to me, Draco. Listen and pay attention to what I am telling you to do. Date her if you must, but keep it quiet. Don't let anyone know; meet in secret, don't talk about her to anyone. And then, for show, you can date Astoria. Then, when Ginny goes back to Potter, you have someone to fall back on. If you don't breathe a word to Astoria about Ginny, it'll be fine. Trust me."

"But what about Ginny, what'll she say when she sees me going around with Astoria? She already doesn't like her," I said, rubbing my forehead- I was beginning to get a headache.

"After whatever you plan to charm her with, she'll do anything you tell her to, whether she likes it or not. Isn't that the reason why you're even bothering to charm her in the first place? So you can control her and save your own skin in the process?"

"True," I said, nodding my agreement.

"Of course it's true," smirked Blaise, leaning back into his chair and looking extremely pleased with himself. "How's that for an afternoon? I've pleased two people in the space of an hour- pleased them completely differently, of course," he hastened to add when I glanced at him mockingly.

"Of course," I agreed, getting to my feet.

"Where're you off to now?" he asked, looking up at me from his still relaxed position.

"I need to talk to Astoria."

Astoria was in the common room when I found her, surrounded as usual by a group of her giggling friends, all of whom, when they saw me approaching, turned pink and giggled even more. One of them nudged Astoria sharply in the ribs, raising her eyebrows and grinning like a maniac. It was quite a terrifying thing, giggling teenage girls, even Slytherin ones.

"Astoria," I said, nodding at her in greeting, suddenly very aware of the way I was talking and standing.

Astoria, of course, let out a little giggle, and turned, if possible, even more pink than her silly friends. On her though, it looked quite nice; I decided that, if I had the chance, I had to make her blush more often. It became her.

"Can I speak to you for a moment?" I asked, motioning away from her friends and to a secluded corner as far away from them as I could see.

"Sure," she said, looking at me from beneath her long lashes and smiling demurely. "See you in a bit, girls."

They watched us walk away, and once we were at a safe distance they suddenly huddled together into a little circle from which muffled giggling could be heard.

"They, er- they laugh a lot, your friends," I said, trying not to look disapproving.

"Yes, don't they?" she said, gazing up at me in the usual adoring manner I had come to expect from her.

"Right… Well," I said, wondering where I was going to begin now that I had her on her own.

"Well," she said, smiling at me.

"So, er-"

"Draco," she cut across me, "Before you say anything else- you know I like you, don't you?"

"Er- yes?" I said, not sure as to where the conversation was suddenly going.

"Good. Well, I've seen you around a lot with that Weasley girl, and-"

"No! No, that's nothing! You know, now her brother's gone, I, er, I had to keep up with the, er, Weasley Torment, you know? It was a, er, game that Crabbe, Goyle and I invented when we were in our first year here, there were a lot more of them then, and now there's only her, so, er, that's why I'm around her a lot- you know, scoring points against Crabbe and Goyle, like a competition," I said, inventing some excuse wildly.

"I haven't seen Crabbe or Goyle around her," she said, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes, well, I'm winning," I said, trying to look smug about winning this ridiculous imaginary game.

"Oh," she said, not looking altogether convinced.

"Astoria," I said, taking hold of her by the shoulders and looking into her eyes.

Astoria froze, gazing back into my eyes with such a look of adoration on her face that I nearly burst out laughing at the complete idiocy of it. But I had to steal myself; there was only one thing that came to mind that I knew for sure would shut her up about the whole Ginny problem, and it was something that, although I wanted very much to do it, I wanted to do even more with someone else. I took a deep breath, noting that she had already closed her eyes and was leaning towards me, her lips puckered slightly. I closed my eyes, and leant forward the rest of the way, placing my lips on her wonderfully full ones.

Ginny-

So much of the past few days had been a confusing blur to me. People didn't seem to notice it, but I was barely myself at the minute- I was elsewhere, and I didn't know where this "else" was. It terrified me beyond belief, so much so that Neville had commented.

"Ginny," he'd said to me one evening by the fire in the common room. "You look… well, is something wrong?"

I'd told him I was fine, not wanting to reveal how confused and scared I was- I was Ginny Weasley, not some scared little first year who didn't know how to handle herself, and Ginny Weasley was not one to show fear to her peers.

My nights were filled with strange, confused dreams, which I didn't think were my own- I was wandering through a large, dark manor house, and then I was running through it, away from a high, cold laugh that was echoing from every wall within it; I was watching myself as I walked through the Hogwarts corridors, and I felt confused to see myself, and a knot in my stomach formed as I watched myself move away; endless snakes coiled in and out of my mind, twisting themselves around me and cutting off my breathing… these dreams terrified me, but I didn't know where they came from. I had never been inside such a house as the manor, I could see no reason why I would watch myself walking around and feel confused and nervous, I had never come face to face with a snake and didn't see why I should fear one if I did.

All of these signs pointed to something very obvious- my mind was not the only one in there. Another mind was pressing against my own, confusing its thoughts with mine, causing these strange dreams. I didn't know for certain who these thoughts could belong to though, or how they had even come to be in my head in the first place.

I was falling ever further behind in my lessons. I was unable to even partially transfigure my stupid hedgehog; whilst a majority of the class were now onto the larger and altogether more difficult porcupines, I was still labouring away at trying to turn my hedgehog into some kind, any kind, of sodding pin cushion, and failing every time. I had once gone so badly wrong that the poor animal had turned started spewing smoke from its ears, and had frozen in place on the desk, whistling like some sort of demented tea pot. My other lessons were going no better, and I was beginning to feel genuine fear that I would end up being sent to the Carrows for my lack of progress. I knew the professors would avoid this as long as possible, but I also knew that there was only so long before the other "professors" noticed something was wrong and stepped in.

I hadn't written to my parents since just after returning from the Christmas holidays. The last letter that reached me was torn across the seal and badly repaired, and poor Pig was in even more of a twitching, fluttering mess than usual, whizzing around the common room for at least an hour before anyone managed to calm him down enough to catch him and bung him off to the Owlery. From this, I was certain that my letters were being read, and I guessed that they thought I must be in contact with Harry.

My mind was becoming fuzzy whenever I thought of Harry, as though something was blocking out my memories of him. When I tried to recall our most recent encounter- Harry's birthday, in my room- I was unable to remember anything but a fuzzy image of two people standing in what appeared to be a very, very bright light. This worried me more than anything- why were my memories of Harry fading? And yet other memories were making themselves more prominent, more known- whenever I struggled to sleep, my mind wandered off into memories of recent conversations and incidents with Draco, which made me suspect that he could very well be behind my mind being so messed up. However, whenever I tried to think too deeply into this, my mind wandered off in a different direction and I couldn't recall what I had previously been thinking… had been previously… about…

What was going on with my brain?

**A/N: Not my best chapter, I know, but it's been a while since I last updated so I thought you all deserved a little something to keep you going. The next chapter shall be posted (I PROMISE) on Valentine's Day. **

**Love, Beccari x**


	15. Chapter 15

Draco-

Astoria followed me around like a little dog, at least until I told her she couldn't very well follow me absolutely everywhere- the toilet, for example. She looked slightly hurt, but soon got her smug air back when I kissed her carefully on the forehead before smiling in the way I knew would make her blush. She practically swaggered back to her friends, and I was left to my own devices. I found Blaise in the courtyard, eyeing up a pretty sixth year Slytherin girl, who was smirking and giggling because she knew he was watching her.

"How revolting," I said, coming up behind him.

"Shut it, Malfoy," he said, not even jumping at my sudden appearance. "How's Astoria?"

"Fine, I just managed to shake her off," I said, rolling my eyes in exasperation.

The sixth year girl was pouting now, annoyed that Blaise was no longer watching her every move. She strutted around a little bit more, moving in exaggerated motions to try and regain his attention, but he was focusing on our conversation now.

"Come on, Draco, why are you not more into this? She likes you, practically worships you _and_ she's a pureblood, what more could you possible want in a girl?"

"It's nothing to do with that, she's just a little overbearing," I said, watching the sixth year girl with growing amusement as she tried to regain Blaise's attention. "She's going to hurt herself if you don't watch her again, stop being cruel to the poor child."

Blaise glanced around at her again, a small smile playing on his lips. She noticed his attention returning to her, and smiled demurely, acting as though she was a normal girl and not a weirdo who was just going out of her way to make a boy look at her. As I watched, Blaise winked at her, and she practically fainted.

"Stop it, Blaise, she's only a kid," I said, laughing.

"She's older than your girlfriend," Blaise smirked.

"She's not my girlfriend, not technically," I said, returning to watching the sixth year girl, who was once again competing for Blaise's attention- this was ridiculous.

"Whatever," he grinned, the expression on his face suggesting that he knew something he shouldn't.

"Right, whatever," I replied. "I have to go anyway; I need to talk to Ginny about tomorrow."

I started to walk away before he could reply, so he shouted at me- "Don't go wasting your time, Draco! It's pointless!"

I smirked to myself and changed course- I headed over towards the sixth year girl, who was so focused on Blaise that she didn't notice me until I tapped her on the shoulder.

"Hey, you like my friend Blaise?" I asked, and not giving her time to answer continued by saying "It's a damn shame he already has two girlfriends- I don't know how he'd cope with a third."

She looked at me scandalised, whilst Blaise glared at me angrily for ruining his shot. I smirked as the girl threw a disgusted look at Blaise and then flounced off, swinging her hips and tossing her hair about. She looked like there was something wrong with her. Blaise was still glaring at me.

"You can't win them all, Blaise," I called to him, shrugging my shoulders.

"You little-"

I wasn't stupid enough to hang around and see what he'd do. I knew he wasn't as large as Crabbe or Goyle, but I still didn't fancy getting into a fight with him- and it wouldn't go down at all well if I had a black eye for my first date with Ginny.

I returned to the common room that night to find Astoria waiting for me, pouting in what I suppose she thought was an attractive way.

"Where have you been, Draco?" she asked, looking sulky.

"Erm, in classes?" I said, looking at her with my eyebrow raised. "This is a school, isn't it?"

"Don't take that tone with me," she said, "I've been looking for you everywhere."

"I asked you not to follow me around, Astoria," I pointed out. "Besides, we've only been together a day- and actually, we're not technically even together!"

"Not technically, but we are," she said, putting her arms around my neck and giving me a kiss on the cheek.

"Yeah, we are, I suppose," I said, trying to placate her- and get her to remove herself from around my neck.

"Really?" she said ecstatically. "You're my boyfriend then?"

"Yes, Astoria, I'm your boyfriend," I said resignedly.

"Great! Where shall I meet you in Hogsmeade tomorrow then?"

"Tomorrow in Hogsme- wait, what?" I asked, pulling away from her clutches slightly.

"Tomorrow in Hogsmeade, silly, it's Valentine's Day!" she said, smiling and rolling her eyes.

I almost stopped breathing. She wanted us to go out together on Valentine's Day- what was I going to say? Why was I stupid enough to kiss her so close to Valentine's Day when I had a date that would determine whether or not I was going to reach my twenties?

"Astoria, I can't go to Hogsmeade with you tomorrow… I…"

"What? Why not?" she asked, suddenly looking upset and pouty again.

"It's just, well, you know, I have a lot of homework to do, and I can't really let myself get behind again, I mean, you know-"

"If you don't want to go with me, just say so, Draco," she said, folding her arms now- at least they weren't around my neck anymore.

"Astoria, don't be so silly," I said, placing my hand on her shoulder. "It's not that I don't want to go with you, I seriously do have homework. How about we make a date for the next time we go to Hogsmeade?"

"You really have homework?" she asked suspiciously.

"Yes, Astoria, really- I wouldn't lie to you," I said, kissing her quickly.

"Well… ok then. I'll get you something nice from Hogsmeade, shall I?" she said, back to her normal self again; this girl's mood swings were going to give me whip lash if I wasn't careful

"Would you?" I said, smiling at her.

"Of course I will, baby," she said, kissing me on the cheek and holding me to her in a grip so strong I felt as though I was going to suffocate.

"Thanks, Astoria," I said, gently releasing myself from her python grip. "How about we go and sit by the fire with our friends for a bit?"

"Can I sit on your knee if there are no chairs free?" she asked, batting her eyelashes at me.

I blinked, momentarily confused- if there were no chairs left, what was wrong with the floor? But I had to keep her happy, I reasoned, and so I agreed that she could sit on my knee if there were no chairs, and she grinned widely, grabbing my hand and dragging me towards the fireplace where my friends were already situated. She beckoned to her friends to join us, and soon we were all sat together talking, a little awkwardly it has to be said, but Astoria was happy, and that meant I wasn't being berated or quizzed.

As it happens, there were chairs available, but Astoria threw herself down onto my lap anyway, snuggling into me. I placed a hand awkwardly around her, resting it on her waist and praying she didn't move, whilst Blaise sat just across from me, smirking and making occasional snide comments that only I could pick up on. I glared at him, recognising this was revenge for my earlier actions which had cost him the chance to get with that girl, and vowed to pay him back later.

It was getting late when I finally managed to get away from the crowd around the fire. Astoria insisted on accompanying me as far as the dorm door. I caught her glance back at her friends as we left, and saw her wink at them. Uh oh.

"Well, night then, Astoria," I said hastily as we got to the top of the stairs.

I kissed her quickly, once on the lips, and then turned to the door, trying to make a quick escape.

"Hey, wait a second, baby," she said, in what I imagine she thought to be a seductive tone. "How about I come in there with you for a little bit? Help you drift off to sleep?"

"Oh, er," I said, trying to think of how to escape this situation. "I don't really think you should, Astoria, it's a mess in there, you know how boys are."

"I don't mind the mess," she purred, suddenly very close to me.

"Well, ok, I don't really mind it either- but I'm, you know, tired," I said desperately.

"How about I give you a little energy boost?" she whispered, running her fingers through my hair; I automatically winced- I was not a fan of people touching my hair.

"Well, if you give me an energy boost, then how will I be able to sleep?" I asked, laughing nervously.

"Come on, Draco," she said, kissing me, "Don't you want to?"

"It _is_ getting late…" I said, trying to reason with her.

"Have you never done this before, Draco?" she said mockingly.

"Er, what?" I asked, deliberately misunderstanding her.

"This is _cute_," she exclaimed, laughing delicately. "The gorgeous Draco Malfoy- a _virgin?_"

"Now, hang on," I said, annoyed. "I am _not_ a virgin, thank you very much."

"Then why are you so scared?"

"I'm not scared. I don't get scared."

"Well, come on then!" she said, pushing against me, her hand moving slowly downwards.

I all but leapt backwards through the door, which had come loose with the both of us leaning on it. Unfortunately, this did not have the desired affect; I fell backwards, and Astoria, caught off balance, fell as well. She landed, not heavily, on top of me. As strong as I was, I couldn't push her off me. She was suddenly kissing me passionately, her tongue invading my mouth, whilst I automatically kissed her back.

It happened very quickly then. One minute we were kissing on the floor, the next I was pulling her school robes off and locking the door behind us as we fell, panting, onto my bed. I don't know how long it was, but I remember lying with her afterwards, her head resting on my chest as I stroked her long, dark hair. She smelt of something flowery- it was really very nice, quite intoxicating. I breathed in slowly and steadily, trying to think coherent thoughts. It was only when we heard footsteps on the stairs, heading up to my dorm, that I realised it really was late, and the others I shared a dorm with were coming up to bed.

"Quick, get up and get dressed!" I hissed to Astoria, practically pushing her off the bed.

"Which robes are mine?" she asked, trying to untangle the mess of black and green robes on the floor.

"I don't know, whichever ones are the smaller ones," I replied, pulling on some boxers.

"We're practically the same size," she said, smirking at me.

"Don't be stupid, I'm not as skinny as you are," I said, smirking back at her.

"Don't you like me being skinny?" she asked, stopping her search for her robes and putting her arms around my waist.

Being both still semi-naked, the feel of her warm skin on mine was perfection. I smiled at her and kissed her properly, not the quick kisses I had been bestowing on her.

"Skinny suits you," I said. "Now find your robes."

"Draco, you busy?" came the joking and infuriatingly smug voice of Blaise on the other side of the door.

"Hang on a minute, Blaise," I said, refusing to sound irritated with him, despite the fact that I was furious with him for disrupting our peaceful post-coitus moments. "Hurry up, Astoria; he'll break the door down if you don't."

"I am hurrying," she said, finally finding her robes and throwing them on without putting her bra on. She slid her tiny pants back on under her robes, then grabbed her other clothes and motioned for me to unlock the door.

As soon as the lock clicked open, Blaise tumbled into the room.

"You shouldn't lean on doors, Blaise, you'll hurt yourself," said Astoria, raising an eyebrow at him in amusement.

"Come on, Astoria, get your arse into your own dorm, I'm knackered and you two have had plenty of time to get better… acquainted, so to speak," said Blaise, grinning.

"Shut up, Blaise," I said, motioning him to come into the room so Astoria could get out.

I kissed her again, and she eventually made her way to her own dorm. I hoped for both our sakes that the common room was empty now- it wouldn't do any good if she had to walk back through it with half her clothes off and only her robe to cover her modesty.

"Have fun, Draco?" smirked Blaise, looking at the mess of clothes still strewn across the floor.

"I said shut up," I said, getting into my four poster and drawing the heavy curtains so that I was out of view.

"You can't hide in there forever!" he said, mock tauntingly.

"No, but I can until you go away again," I mumbled.

"I heard that," he said, laughing.

"Where're Crabbe and Goyle anyway?" I asked, trying to change the subject.

"Last I saw them they were sneaking out for some food from the kitchens," said Blaise. "Where else would those fat gits be? Besides, don't try and change the subject."

"I'm not," I denied. "I'm trying to find out where half our room mates are. Now, I am going to go to sleep. Shut up and leave me alone."

"Sure thing, mate," said Blaise, and he began to whistle to himself as he got ready for bed.

I heard Crabbe and Goyle creep back in at about 2am, but they fell asleep relatively quickly. Blaise was snoring slightly in his bed, so I was the only one awake. I sat in my bed, thinking over the night's events. I felt a great weight off my shoulders, and my thoughts were focused only on Astoria- her pale, beautiful body, naked and writhing against mine, her little moans of satisfaction; it was enough to nearly make me creep out of my bed and join her in hers.

It was only as I was dozing off that I remembered that it was the morning of February 14th, and I had a date with Ginny Weasley in only a few hours. With that thought, I was wide awake again, my thoughts changing from the bliss of Astoria, and the confusion of Ginny, and I realised I wasn't nearly as contented as I had thought myself to be when Astoria and I had sat in quiet happiness together a couple of hours earlier. I still had to focus on Ginny. I had to somehow build up a relationship with her, whilst keeping it a secret from everyone but the Dark Lord, my parents and other such people, whilst keeping my relationship with Astoria a secret from Ginny.

I had no idea what I'd let myself in for, but I didn't think it could be in any way good. I only hoped that my date with Ginny would go without a hitch, and that Astoria would never find out.

Ginny-

I was woken up at around half midnight, after such a disturbing and confusing dream that my head was reeling. I had dreamt about that skinny little Slytherin slut, the one who was only 15 but had already slept with more of the Hogwarts male population than I had laid eyes on. I didn't know why I'd dreamt about her, or what I'd actually dreamt about her- she was just kind of there, not doing anything, whilst I stood laughing and talking with Draco.

I remembered that I was supposed to have a date with him, but try as I might I couldn't remember agreeing to this date, and no matter how much I tried to I couldn't think of any way to get out of it. If I came close to thinking of a way, it slipped from my mind before I had a chance to build on the initial idea, and I was left back at square one again.

Neville and I were hardly talking nowadays. This was nothing to do with us not being friends, because we were- it was more to do with the fact that I was desperately avoiding contact with anyone who, if I was being possessed, would end up getting hurt because of me. As a result, I remained, for a majority of lunch and break times, in the girl's bathroom where Myrtle lived. She didn't bother me, she just remained in her cubicle, moaning and moping away to herself about nothing in particular.

Whenever I did see Neville, he looked about to fight someone, and the most recent time I'd seen him he'd got a large slash down one cheek, which was bleeding slightly and looked incredibly sore. When I'd asked him about it, he'd said something about cheeking one of the Carrows, although I didn't catch what his exact words were, due to the fact that a that precise moment, my mind went curiously blank again, only for a few seconds, but when I returned to the conversation he had almost finished his story. I commented on how unfair and disgusting the Carrows were, and suggested he go to McGonagall.

"Don't be stupid, Gin," he'd said, not unkindly. "I can't go to McGonagall, what's she going to do about it? She's as scared as we are, and they're more likely to kill her than any of us. She's got no family who'll try and go after them if they kill her, see. So she's not going to kick up a fuss."

He had a good point. None of the professors dared to stand up to the Carrows. They wouldn't kill us, but they would have no problem killing one of the professors if they got out of line.

I managed to get back to sleep at around half 1, and then woke up again in a sudden panic around half an hour later, although I didn't know why. It took me ages to calm myself back down enough to slip back into sleep, and when I did it was restless and I woke every so often with dreadful feelings of sickness and worry building up inside me.

The sickness and worry was at such a level that when I finally woke up properly, I declined joining the others for breakfast, and instead sat alone in the dorm, trying to get myself ready for Hogsmeade without running to the toilets to be violently sick everywhere. I tried to discourage myself from getting ready to go, telling myself that if I just never showed then I wouldn't have to go on the stupid date with Draco, but whenever I tried to stop myself my mind turned blank again. When I returned to myself, I was getting ready again, without any conscious thought as to how I got there. I decided instead that I would just stay in my dorm. I couldn't very well get all the way to Hogsmeade without knowing it- I'd have to come back into my own mind eventually, and when I did I could just come back to the dorm. So I sat on my bed and decided I wouldn't move. I picked up a book and began to read.

I was sitting in a secluded corner of a small teashop, opposite Draco, who was chatting to me about something that I didn't understand. I blinked, confused, and tried to remember how I'd gotten to the teashop in the first place. I had a cup of untouched, pinkish coloured tea in front of me, which I looked at with slight trepidation, although I didn't understand why. Draco didn't seem to notice my discomfort and confusion until I spoke.

"What?" I whispered, staring into the cup of tea in front of me.

"Hmm?" said Draco, breaking off from whatever he'd been saying.

"I don't understand," I whispered, shocked to find my vision going blurry- I was tearing up, something I never, ever did.

"What don't you understand?" asked Draco, sounding slightly concerned but mostly uninterested.

"What's going on?" I asked, sounding choked.

"We're on a date," he said, talking slowly as though I had something wrong with me.

"I don't remember how I got here," I said, the first tears beginning to fall. "I was sitting in my dorm, reading a book about Quidditch. And then I was here. I don't understand."

"Ginny?" he asked, sounding more concerned now as he watched me cry.

"How did I get here?"

"In the coaches, remember?"

"I just _said_, I don't remember!" I said, crying more now.

"Stop crying, Ginny, please," he said, reaching out and putting a hand on mine.

"Don't!" I said, pulling my hand away. "Don't!"

"Alright," he said, pulling his own hand away. "Just stop crying."

"I can't," I sobbed, trying hard to keep quiet; I didn't want to draw attention to myself.

"Well, can you please try?"

"You try to stop crying when for the past who knows how long you've had massive gaps in your memory appear! I don't _understand!_" I sobbed.

"Oh, Ginny, please, just stop!" he said, taking hold of my hand again and not letting me take it away. "Alright, I'll tell you what's happened."

"You… you know what's going on with my head?" I asked, staring at him.

"Yes, I know. I put you under the Imperius Curse so that you'd date me."

I sat staring at him, suddenly realising why I was so confused and scared.

"You cursed me?" I whispered, my tears still flowing but my voice no longer catching.

"Yes. And I'm sorry. I didn't think it would affect you this way."

"But you still did it!" I accused, snatching my hand away. "Why?"

"I can't tell you why, but I had a good reason, a really good one, honest," he said, looking me straight in the eyes and pleading with me.

"A really good reason to play havoc with someone's head?" I snapped, rubbing my cheeks to get rid of the embarrassing tears still falling down them.

"I didn't play havoc with your head, not really," he said.

"Oh, not really? I snapped. "I've been dreaming about some horrible manor house for ages, with dark corridors and screams, and then I dreamt about that weedy Slytherin whore who's so obsessed with you, that disgusting Greengrass girl-"

"Leave Astoria out of this," he said, suddenly sharp.

"Why the hell should I?"

"She's nothing to do with this discussion."

"Oh, I see, you _like_ the Slytherin Snake. Then why are you here with me, torturing me into believing I've gone bloody insane, or I'm being possessed or something, when you could be with her? She is a pureblood, after all!"

"You sound like Blaise now. Just stop it for a moment, Ginny. Let me explain."

"Why should I?"

"Because I might be able to help you to understand!"

We fell silent for a few minutes as I contemplated this. I did want to understand, but I was completely unsure as to whether or not he would tell me the truth- although after this most recent revelation, I suspected he wouldn't. Even so, I decided it would be amusing to hear whatever pathetic excuse he could come up with.

"Fine," I said shortly, leaning back in my chair and folding my arms.

"Ok," he said, and taking a deep breath he began to talk. "I placed you under the Imperius Curse because, since the beginning of the year, I have been trying to… to win you, for want of a better phrase. And I was doing this because I have to, ok, Ginny? I have to. I was forced to try and get with you from the beginning of the year for reasons I can't tell you. But then I realised I wasn't being forced anymore, not really- I actually wanted to be with you. But you wouldn't give me the time of day, and I really needed to be with you, both for myself and for other reasons. So I did the only thing I could think of. I put you under the Imperius Curse. Not totally under it though- I let you keep your mind a lot of the time. The curse only came into effect if you tried to back out of our date, or tried to think too much into the situation. That's why you ended up here today without knowing it, because you tried to stay in the dorm and stand me up. I don't think I removed enough of the curse though, as it seems that you've been… feeling my emotions and dreaming about what I'm doing or am dreaming about when I've been particularly… particularly emotional, shall we say. Please understand this, Ginny. I want to be with you, but it's more than that. I need to be with you. It's a matter of great urgency that I win you. Please."

Here he finished speaking and sat looking at me with great, grey eyes boring almost into my very soul.

"Take the whole curse off me," I demanded quietly.

He did so without comment, quickly and quietly, and then returned to watching me, his eyes pleading even though he wasn't speaking.

I considered what he had said. Now I had my own mind completely back, I felt freer, easier. I could think properly, and I did. I thought about everything that had transpired between the two of us since the beginning of the school year, and even before it, at my brother's wedding. He'd saved my life twice, and saved me from getting seriously hurt up in the Owlery as well. That had to be taken into account. But he had also placed me under the Imperius Curse, and illegal curse which had caused me to think I was going insane over the past few weeks. I had seriously thought something was wrong with me, was convinced I was being possessed by some Dark Magic outside of my control or my knowledge. This also had to be taken into account. But what I had to think about most of all was the fact that, now my brain was completely my own, I had to admit that I did have some feelings there for him which I didn't completely understand. Looking into his eyes as he sat looking at me, I knew I felt something for him which I hadn't felt since Harry.

"Alright," I said quietly after a further 10 or so minutes.

Draco sat up straight, looking at me with quiet desperation.

"Alright," I repeated. "I don't really fully understand why you did what you did. But I do understand that even you wouldn't have done it if you didn't have a solid reason for doing so. I think you must have been feeling pretty desperate to do that. So, although I don't forgive you, I will give you one chance."

Draco beamed at me, ecstatic.

"Really? Thank you, Ginny, really, thank you-"

"Wait. I have conditions."

Draco stopped smiling and looked worried again.

"I don't want anyone to know about this. If word of this reached Harry, I hate to think what could happen. And I'm not doing things with you that your Slytherin whore does. I'm not that kind of girl. The only reason I'm even agreeing to do this is because you seem to really need me to, and because I'm not that much of a complete bitch that I would say no to someone who was in such desperate need- even if that someone is you."

"Ok. We'll keep this all secret then. And I won't make you do anything. But please stop calling Astoria a whore," he said, looking both amused and annoyed.

"I'm only telling the truth, Draco," I said.

"I don't think you are, but thank you anyway. Thank you so much for this, Ginny, I don't know how I can ever repay you," he said, moving his chair next to mind and putting his arm around me.

I ignored the butterflies in my stomach when he touched me, and instead moved his arm off of my shoulders.

"No, thank you, Draco. I don't think that's needed," I said, smirking slightly at his crestfallen face.

"Right," he said, moving away again and smiling sheepishly. "So, are you technically my girlfriend then? Albeit a secret one."

"I suppose I am," I said, feeling both upset and excited by this prospect- it was a very confusing feeling.

"Brilliant," grinned Draco. "Would you like more tea? I think that one's probably gone cold by now."

"Yeah, go on then. Or we can go to the Three Broomsticks? I think I might need something stronger than tea."

"You said this had to be kept secret- we're staying put here and having another tea," said Draco, and I could tell he was trying not to laugh.

"Right you are," I mumbled, looking back down at the pinkish coloured tea, watching as a small bubble on the surface of the liquid burst.

**A/N: There you go, the special Valentine's Day chapter, posted on (or at least near, as it's still only the 13****th**** here in the UK) Valentine's Day. I hope you all enjoy it, and happy Valentine's to the lot of you **

**Love, Beccari x**


	16. Chapter 16

Draco-

I knew that Ginny was only with me because she knew that I was going to be in serious trouble if she wasn't. But I respected that she wanted to keep it quiet from the other students, and so I only informed my mother and father of my progress, knowing that it would get back to Him soon enough.

We didn't have a touchy-feeling relationship. My relationship with Astoria was much more what a normal teenage relationship should be. We regularly disappeared from the common room to enjoy ourselves during the evenings, sometimes in the dorms, and sometimes in secluded corridors where no one ever went anymore. It was always exhilarating when we had sex outside of the dorms; the fear of getting caught made everything feel so much more exciting and intense. I didn't tell Ginny about these intimate evening sessions, and I certainly didn't say a word to Astoria about Ginny.

I had yet to kiss Ginny. We'd meet up sometimes, in the evenings when I wasn't with Astoria, and we'd simply talk. It made me feel better to get everything off my chest, and she seemed to like talking to me about her worries as well, although she didn't go into great detail; I suspected that she didn't trust me, which was only to be expected, considering who I served. She told me some things though. She told me about how worried she was about all of her brothers, and how she wasn't used to seeing the hole in her brother's head where Snape had severed his ear. She said about how she was worried about Weasley because he was still stuck at home with Spattergoit and he didn't seem to be improving, and how she worried about her oldest brother because of how his encounter with Greyback had left him. She expressed her distaste for her oldest brother's wife, the French girl, but how she was pleased that Bill seemed to be happy for the moment. She told me all of this, and I saw the unhappiness in her eyes. She was missing her family. I wondered what it was like to have so many siblings. I had asked her once, but she merely said that it was busy, and had said no more.

Astoria, over the past couple of weeks, had taken to telling me she loved me. This unnerved me somewhat- we had barely begun out relationship, and she was trying to get serious already? I guessed that she probably expected me to follow the old Pure Blood tradition of getting engaged early and marrying young. No chance. I was only young, I wanted to be free- not tied down to the same girl from the age of 17 until I died. What an awful life it must be, to keep yourself to one person. I thought about my parents, how they'd been married early, how they'd known each other from early Hogwarts days, and I shuddered. I did not wish to be with the same woman when I was 70 that I'd been with at 17.

I voiced this concern to Ginny one night, as we sat secluded in one of the less used classrooms. She was sitting on the edge of a desk, not at all ladylike- she was sitting with her legs open slightly, resting one elbow on her knee, trailing sparks from her wand with her other hand and looking slightly hunched over. She yawned occasionally, which I ignored. Although I could not deny she was an attractive girl, she was definitely like her older brothers.

"You're very shallow, Malfoy," she said simply, not looking at me.

"How so?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Greengrass, as much as I dislike her, isn't altogether the most unfortunate looking girl in the school. You could do much worse."

"Yes, but I still wouldn't like to be stuck with her forever- and yet I think she's expecting me to propose to her before the end of the school year. What should I do?" I despaired, putting my head in my hands.

"Well, can't she wait? I mean, there _is_ a war going on. It's ridiculous to be so self-absorbed when there's so much happening outside of the castle," she said, sounded heated.

I glanced up at her through my fingers. She had gone slightly red, and her eyebrows were furrowed, a small, puckered mark showing in between them. Astoria really got on her nerves. I couldn't say as I blamed her. Astoria got on my nerves sometimes as well- but she was my girlfriend, and was willing to put out whenever I wanted some, so I put up with her. I wondered idly if Ginny had ever done anything further than kissing, but pushed the idea from my mind- it was not my business to know.

"That's true," I said eventually, and she looked at me, one eyebrow raised in amusement. "What?"

"You're sleeping with her, but you agree that she's self-absorbed?" she asked, a hint of a smirk on her pretty lips.

"Of course I do, I'm not blind. She's one of the most self-absorbed girls in the entire school," I said, leaning back in my chair and looking directly at Ginny.

"Then why are you with her?" she asked, seemingly confused.

"Isn't it obvious?" I asked. When she shook her head, I sighed, and continued speaking. "She's from a perfectly respectable line of pure-bloods, she's got money, breeding. She's not altogether stupid- in fact, she can be quite smart sometimes."

"And she'll sleep with you on demand?" asked Ginny, eyebrow raised again, a look of purest distaste on her face.

"Well, yeah," I said, smirking in a satisfied sort of way.

"You are unbelievable," she muttered, glaring down at the floor and tapping her wand on the table, causing red and gold sparks to shoot from the end of it.

"Oh, come on, Ginny," I said, amused. "A gorgeous, pure-blood girl wants very much to have sex with me. You think I'm going to pass that up?"

"You're disgusting," she said, although she was trying not to grin now.

"I'm simply the same as any other red blooded teenage male," I said, grinning, and now she broke into a reluctant grin as well.

"You're despicable, that's what you are," she said, letting out a little laugh.

"Yeah, well, the ladies don't half love it," I said, smirking and puffing out my chest, pretending that I thought myself to be impressive.

Ginny cracked up laughing at this point, and I was glad she'd cast a charm on the door so that no one could hear us. I grinned at her as she sat laughing on the desk, feeling a strange warmth in my chest- I'd made Ginny laugh. It was a nice sound.

"I like it when you laugh," I said, without thinking.

Ginny stopped laughing abruptly and stared at me instead, looking stunned. I felt a sinking in my chest now- I was always so careful not to say anything that would seem as though I liked her as anything more than an acquaintance, despite my feelings trying hard to tell me otherwise.

"What?" she asked.

"What?" I repeated, acting confused, trying to pretend I hadn't said anything.

"Why do you like it when I laugh?" she asked, her face a blank mask.

"I… I never said that," I said haughtily, jumping to my feet and beginning to pace the room in an agitated manner.

"Yeah, you did," she said, and she stood up as well, placing herself in front of me so that I stopped short.

We stood still facing each other in the darkening classroom. Curfew was not in affect yet- we still had half an hour to get back to our common rooms. I wanted to say this, to tell her that we should leave now, and hopefully she would forget the whole awkward situation, where I had revealed a tiny part of my feelings for her. I couldn't say anything however. Even in the dark, I could see her eyes were blazing in her pale face, and I stared into them, lost for words, lost for thought…

"Ginny…" I breathed, managing to stumble over her name as I spoke, my voice catching in my throat.

"Draco?" she murmured, equally quiet, although her voice was as clear as a bell- if she was nervous, she wasn't showing it.

"Curfew…" I whispered, although I had no intentions of leaving now.

I closed my eyes, leaning closer towards her, inhaling her incredibly soft and yet sweet smell- was it natural, or did she use perfume? I didn't think on it, instead moving so that my arms were around her waist. Instantly, I felt her freeze, and my eyes snapped open.

She was staring at me with shock in her brilliant brown eyes, shock and something else- confusion? She glanced quickly at where I had placed my hands, and I instantly let go, as though she'd burned me. As soon as I had let go of her, she stepped back a couple of steps, regarding me warily. Neither of us spoke for a few moments, and I felt myself getting hot under the collar- why wasn't she speaking?

Finally, she managed to find her voice.

"It's almost curfew," she said, quietly but in a voice that was cold and harsh.

"Of course," I said, standing up straight suddenly, locking away any confusion or worry I had previously felt, my tone of voice matching hers.

"I'm going to leave now, get back in plenty of time," she said, still sounding cold- but she seemed unsure of herself somehow.

"Fine," I said, and I turned away from her, looking instead out of the window, which was overlooking the Forbidden Forest.

"I-"

I turned slightly, looking at her over my shoulder, a cold look in place on my face. I watched as she blanched, and turned away from me, her hair swinging over her shoulder and obscuring her face from me, like a curtain.

"I'll see you around," she said, moving towards the door. She already had her hand on the door knob when I spoke again, in spite of myself.

"Ginny, wait-" I said, turned to face her and reaching out a hand towards her, as though hoping she'd return to my somewhat unexpected embrace.

She turned to face me, and I didn't miss the strange look of mixed confusion and hope of her face before she was able to compose it into the blank mask she so often wore around me.

"Yeah?" she asked, still in the cold tone of voice.

I took an uncertain step towards her, waiting for her reaction. She remained where she stood, looking impassively at me. Although this was slightly daunting, she hadn't stepped away, and I took this as an encouraging sign. I slowly walked forwards until I was directly in front of her, as close to her as I felt comfortable getting. She was looking up at me, her face betraying nothing, holding herself loosely, as though this was a situation in which she felt nothing but complete apathy.

I reached out and took her wrists, placing them so that her arms were around my neck. I felt her try and pull away, but I kept them there, never letting my gaze leave her face, which still betrayed nothing. When I felt sure she wouldn't move her arms, I let go of her wrists, and placed my hands on her waist, hesitating for only a second before pulling her closer to me. I could feel her trying to resist, but I was stronger. She was still looking up at me, and so before she had a chance to turn her head away, I took my opportunity, pressing my lips against hers.

She tried to pull away, keeping her mouth hard and unyielding, but I moved my hands so that I was holding her face to mine. Slowly, I opened my mouth, inhaling her wonderful smell- how could a blood traitor smell so incredible?- and letting my tongue slowly trace her bottom lip. She froze momentarily, and then, to my great surprise, her mouth became soft, and she was kissing me back. She opened her own wonderful, full lips, granting me access, and as our tongues met I felt fireworks explode in my lower stomach.

My hands were suddenly in her hair, pulling tentatively. Ginny gasped, and whether involuntarily or not, bit my lower lip, making me moan and pull her hair harder. We were entwined in our own fiery blaze, which had emerged from nowhere, but which felt more incredibly than any of the things I'd done with Astoria, or any other girl. This was how it was supposed to be. This was- this was wrong.

I stopped as suddenly as I'd started, pulling away from her and opening my eyes as I gazed into her face in horror. She looked back at me, confusion on her face, her eyes still blazing with excitement, although the excitement of the moment was fading quickly now, almost extinguished.

"It's… almost curfew," I said, pulling away from her embrace entirely.

Without a backwards glance I swept from the room, leaving Ginny behind me. A filthy little blood traitor, that was all she was, all she ever would be. Astoria, she was what was pure, what was good and real and with her was how it should be. Ginny was a mission, nothing more. Astoria was, after all, my girlfriend- I had to accept this fact now.

I stumbled blindly along the corridors, confused thoughts clouding my mind, still able to taste Ginny on my lips, smell her on my clothes. Before I could gather my thoughts, I was back at the Slytherin common room. I all but fell through the hidden door, startling a group of third years who were standing close by it, whispering in a small huddle about some prank or other they were planning on some Gryffindor students.

I dodged past them, trying to get to my dormitory. My path however, which had been clear moments before, was suddenly blocked by Astoria and her usual giggling girl group, although now they all looked mutinous. I blinked at them, trying to get my eyes to focus.

"Draco," said Astoria icily.

"Astoria!" I said, blinking as she came into sharp focus quite suddenly.

"Where have you been?" she demanded.

"Nowhere, Astoria- oh God," I exclaimed shortly, before gathering my girlfriend in my arms and kissing her hard on the mouth.

She welcomed this without any question, there was no confusion clouding this kiss- but no fireworks, no feeling on complete righteousness. I pulled away, and found myself looking into Astoria's smug face. Her friends were no longer glaring at me mutinously, but simpering in a sickening fashion- "Oh, isn't that sweet?" "They're so good together!" "Astoria is so _lucky!_". Astoria herself smiled at me, looking me dead in the eyes. I knew what she was going to say.

"I love you, Draco," she whispered, gazing at me with a truly pathetic look of adoration on her face.

"I love you too, Astoria," I said, my voice hoarse.

Astoria's face lit up with delight, she released me immediately and, giving me one quick kiss on the cheek, went into a huddle with her friends in a corner to discuss what I'd just said.

Choking down my shame at the evening's events, I proceeded up to my dormitory, hoping against hope that Blaise, Crabbe and Goyle would leave me alone, at least for the moment. As I entered my empty dorm, it seemed my wish was to be granted. I collapsed onto my bed, not bothering to undress.

What had I done?

Ginny-

I stood alone in the half-abandoned classroom, the feeling of Draco's kiss still on my lips. I felt… I didn't know. Confused, hurt, afraid- but also, underneath this, was happiness, and excitement. Butterflies the size of garden gnomes still rampaged inside my stomach, making me feel queasy with the strange sense of bliss and pain I felt. Was it possible to feel so many conflicting emotions at the same time?

Eventually, I realised where I was- and curfew was almost in effect. Having no desire to be caught out of my dorm past the allotted time and tortured, I sprinted from the room, leaving behind the feelings of happiness and excitement so that only confusion and pain remained. I hurtled down the deserted corridors, headed straight for the portrait of the fat lady, who was sleeping against the frame of her painting.

"Korseret," I gasped as I reached her, and when she did not reply I gave the painting a sharp tap, startling her awake with a cry.

"_Korseret!"_ I repeated agitatedly.

"Yes, alright, alright," she snapped furiously, opening so that I could enter the common room. "You're leaving it a bit late, girl!" she called after me. I ignored her.

Hardly anyone remained in the common room. Despite it not being that late generally, as it was only just past 9pm, everyone decided to go to bed earlier these days, rather than waste their time on meaningless homework when there was a war raging outside of the castle walls- and sometimes inside them as well.

Neville was sleeping beside the fire in an armchair, Trevor resting placidly on his lap, croaking quietly from time to time. A book on water plants lay at his feet, one I recognised as having been avidly read by him before. I left him sleeping quietly, not wanting to wake him and have to make up some excuse for where I'd been all evening.

The other girls in my dormitory were still awake, of course. They did not, however, ply me with questions- apparently, the look on my face must have discouraged them, for they remained talking quietly by the large window, gazing out across the grounds, whilst I pulled on my pyjamas and climbed into bed.

I lay there quietly, ignoring the whispered conversation of my peers, allowing the evening's events to play over and over in my head, assessing them from every possible angle, until only one remained which seemed even remotely plausible.

I remembered the shock when he had first wrapped his arms around me, how I had stiffen automatically- no, this was wrong. He was Draco Malfoy, a hard hearted Slytherin, a Death Eater, not some nice, mild mannered Gryffindor boy with a liking for Quidditch and Exploding Snap. Draco Malfoy was a bad boy, and not the kind I found attractive- he was dangerous. Getting involved with him was sheer idiocy. So I had tried to remove myself from the situation- only when he had called me back, my heart had skipped a beat, my stomach had flipped, and I had spun around to face him, trying to hide the sudden hope I felt from showing in my facial expressions. He took a step towards me, and I fought against the urge to step away- this was what I wanted, wasn't it?

He continued to walk towards me, putting my arms around his neck. I tried to pull away, almost losing my nerve, but he held onto me, keeping me there. I remembered the intense and numerous feelings which had chorused through my body when he'd suddenly pressed his lips to mine, and it took me a moment before I was able to remember what to do in return. As he slowly and tentatively ran his tongue along my lower lip, I began to kiss him in response, forgetting that it was Draco Malfoy, the dangerous Death Eater, and focusing on Draco Malfoy, the scared boy who was caught up in this war, same as everyone.

He had pulled my hair, sending a surprisingly pleasant shock through my body, and I involuntarily bit his lip. The sound of him moaning in response was like music- I was making him feel these things, make these incredibly hot noises, he wanted me and I wanted him, this was pure bliss-

He had broken the kiss and stared at me in what I could only explain as shocked horror. He seemed to be calculating something in his head, but before I could do anything more than glance at him questioningly, he had muttered something about the curfew and fled the room, leaving me standing alone.

My conclusion was thus- he was ashamed. I understood why he was "going out" with me. This was something he had to do to ensure he stayed alive. I knew he was reporting back to You Know Who. But, even though I was the "mission", so to speak, he was ashamed to do as his master had told him. I knew why- I was a blood traitor in his eyes. I was unworthy of the Precious Malfoy Heir. Hadn't he said, the only reason he was with that despicable slut Greengrass was because she was from a highly respectable pure blood family? Where was I from? The biggest family of blood traitors in Wizarding history- and proud of it. But this still didn't explain the hurt I felt when I thought about his disgust at kissing me, his horror and confusion. I had been hurt by it, hurt in a way I was unfamiliar with.

Eventually, I heard the other girls going to bed. Although they continued their conversation for a while longer, they gradually fell asleep, the soft sounds of deep, slow breathing all that filled the now silent dormitory. I remained awake for a long while, thinking over and over the same pieces of information, making sense out of things I had already made sense of numerous times before on that very same evening.

I wondered if Draco was going over earlier in the evening, same as I was? I recalled when I'd been under his Imperius Curse, how I'd seen snatches of his dreams- the dark corridors in the lonely manor house- and wondered if he was asleep and perhaps dreaming of me. Or did he go back to his common room and fuck the pure blood slut, to make himself feel pure and decent again after kissing the blood traitor? This seemed the more likely of the two thoughts, but I found it painful to dwell on it.

Down in the grounds, I heard an owl hoot dolefully, and I thought, quite suddenly, of Hedwig. The poor bird, so loyal and beautiful, who had been killed during the flight from Privet Drive as they attempted to move Harry.

Oh, Harry. A sharp pain tore through my chest. What I was doing with Draco… If Harry knew… He would be devastated. I knew his feelings for me- at least, I hoped they had remained the same since I had last seen him, all those month ago. Was that unbearably selfish of me? Whilst I was cavorting around with his school enemy to wish that he still loved me? Perhaps it was. And yet, I still wanted him to love me. I still loved him, didn't I?

Slowly, realisation dawned on me. Although I still loved him, it wasn't the same love. I didn't have butterflies in my stomach when I thought of him. I remembered our last kiss, and couldn't help comparing it to the kiss I'd shared with Draco earlier in the evening. They were different. I'd felt more alive when I had kissed Draco. A wave of guilt crashed over me. If Harry still loved me, then what I was doing was as bad as cheating on him.

But it couldn't be cheating on him, not really. I wasn't going out with him. I was single- technically. I could do whatever I wanted. But I'd kissed him before he went so that he would remember to stay faithful to me- and then I had gone and done the worst thing, I had gone and kissed Draco Malfoy, Harry's number one Hogwarts enemy. So maybe this was a betrayal.

I screwed up my eyes tight, willing myself not to cry. It was difficult though. A single tear fell from my closed eyes, and suddenly I was sobbing quietly into my pillow, trying desperately not to wake the others. Everything was a mess. I felt unbelievably guilty, and not just for what had transpired between Draco and myself. I felt that I was being as self-absorbed as Astoria Greengrass. Whilst Harry was out there risking his life to protect all of the Wizarding population, not to mention the Muggles as well, I was lying in my bed, crying because I had feelings for both Harry and Draco. This sudden realisation bought me to an abrupt silence.

I had feelings for Draco.

**A/N: I am so sorry it's been so long since I last posted! I've been incredibly busy with college work and general work, but that is no excuse to leave you all for 2 whole months without a single thing to read. I hope this makes up for it a little bit.**

**Love, Beccari x**


	17. Chapter 17

Draco-

I slouched down to breakfast the next morning, Astoria clinging to my arm and gazing adoringly up at me, and tried to look smug, as everyone would expect me to look. It wasn't real though. I didn't feel smug with Astoria attached to me.

Glancing around the hall as I entered, I noticed immediately that Ginny was not present. Should this have concerned me? I shrugged it off, throwing myself down at the Slytherin table, Astoria placing herself delicately beside me. She was acting like an innocent little princess, not at all like she did when we were alone together. As I thought this, I noticed that she was chattering away to me, placing my favourite breakfast foods onto my plate.

"Here, Draco, have some bacon," she said, smiling as she slid a few rashers of bacon onto my plate. "Would you like something to drink, darling? Pumpkin juice?" She poured me a glass of pumpkin juice and handed it to me. I took it, placing it down on the table and continuing to watch as she sorted my breakfast out for me. "You like toast, don't you? Here, have some toast. What would you like on it, darling? Jam? Marmalade?"

"Astoria, stop," I said suddenly, quietly, not even trying to hide the contempt in my voice. Astoria froze, looking at me with a look of hurt on her face.

"What's wrong, Draco?" she asked, putting the toast down and gazing at me intently.

"Just stop, ok? I can feed myself perfectly well, and as it happens, I am not actually hungry at this moment in time," I snapped.

"Draco-"

"Will you stop bleating my name like that?" I hissed, pushing myself up from the table. The Slytherins had fallen silent, were watching us curiously. Some of them were smirking in amusement.

"What have I done wrong?" asked Astoria, going red.

"Just leave me alone," I said, and I began to walk away. I felt her hand on my arm, trying to pull me back. "Will you just leave off!" I shouted, pushing her back towards the table and leaving the hall at a run.

I continued to run until I had come to a deserted corridor near the Owlery, and then I stopped, gasping for breath, clutching a stitch in my side. I sank down to the floor, leaning against the wall, and sat with my head in my hands.

I'd ruined things with Ginny. I knew I had. She'd looked so confused, so hurt when I'd broken away from her last night, and I'd done nothing but run away from her. I wondered if she would forgive me, if I apologised.

Wait. Draco Malfoy, apologise? I'd not really done anything wrong. I had merely made a little mistake in kissing her.

But I'd wanted to. I'd wanted to for a while before it happened. I had not wanted to stop at just kissing her. I wanted her to be mine, totally and completely mine, in the only way I knew how. I wanted very much to sleep with Ginny. But that was going to far, wasn't it? She was just a mission. She was nothing more than that. Nothing I should be confused over.

And I'd just stormed out on Astoria, a beautiful pure blood girl who was giving me breakfast, all because my head was so messed up about Ginny.

"For fuck's sake," I moaned, hitting my head against the stone wall.

"Well, well, well- Mr Malfoy."

The soft voice shocked me out of my senses, and I jumped quickly back to my feet, looking around for who had spoken. Out of the shadows stepped Alecto Carrow, an entertained look on her flat face. It felt as though someone had just frozen my insides.

"That was quite a performance you just put on. Something wrong with your little relationship?" she sneered.

"What do you want?" I asked bluntly.

"I came to find out if you were alright, dear," she said in a thoroughly unconvincing tone. She didn't stop smirking, and I saw the glint in dull, beady eyes. I swallowed.

"As if you care," I replied, keeping my voice monotone.

"Now, now, Draco," she said tauntingly. "Just because everything isn't all sunshine and rainbows in your little world, doesn't give you an excuse to be so rude to one of your professors…"

"But of course," I said, sneering. "My apologies, _Professor_."

The smirk disappeared from her face. Replacing it was a very ugly look.

"You want to watch your back, Draco," she said threateningly. I raised an eyebrow.

"And why would that be?"

"I've seen who you've been sneaking around with," she said in a deadly quiet voice.

"And who would that be?" I asked.

"I've seen you sneaking around with that Weasley girl," she said triumphantly. "Saw you come storming out of a room only last night, shortly followed by her. She looked very upset, poor little thing." Her tone was now painfully mocking. I stared at her, bile rising in my throat. How dare she mock Ginny? "What've you done to upset two girls in the space of 12 hours, Draco? Tut, tut. Clearly your useless father never taught you anything about manners…"

"Don't you insult my father!" I said hotly, glaring at her.

"Now, now, Draco," she said again. "Does _he_ know you're sneaking around with a blood traitor? What would daddy say if he found out, I wonder? And what about poor mummy, poor, poor mummy…"

"Leave my mother out of this, Alecto!" I snapped, pulling my wand out and pointing it directly at her face. She laughed softly.

"You don't have the nerve, Draco," she said.

"Try me," I said quietly, glaring at her, such hatred coursing through my veins that it felt as though, where there had previously been ice, there was now fire.

"You want to watch your back," she repeated, and she turned and walked off down the corridor, pausing at the end to wave at me, wiggling her short, stumpy fingers in my direction.

"You're having an eventful morning."

Another soft voice was issuing from behind me, and I spun around, my wand at the ready- but I stopped short. Ginny was standing behind me, refusing to look directly at me; instead she was staring at my feet.

"Ginny," I said, stowing my wand away hastily. "What are you doing here?"

"I was sending an owl," she said, motioning towards the steps leading up to the Owlery, which she had presumably just come down.

"Oh," I said. "Who to?" I was only trying to make polite conversation, but she snapped at me.

"How is that any of your business, Malfoy?" she snapped, still not looking at me.

"Right, sorry," I said.

She looked up at me in evident surprise.

"You just said sorry," she said, meeting my eyes and then blushing furiously.

"Yeah, I know," I said, shrugging. "I'm going to say sorry again though."

"What for?"

"For last night."

Ginny said nothing, merely returned to looking at the floor.

"I'm sorry, Ginny," I said, moving towards her and putting my hand underneath her chin, making her look up at me. Still, she avoided my eyes.

"There's nothing to be sorry about, Malfoy."

"Why are we back to Malfoy? I thought we'd moved past that?" I asked, still keeping my hand under her face so that she couldn't look back down.

"Yeah, well." She shrugged.

"I didn't mean to just take off like that," I said. This was it… this was my chance to make it up to her for being such a jerk the previous night…

"Take off like what? I don't know what you're talking about."

"Wha- oh." I understood. She was going to pretend it hadn't happened. "You can't act like we didn't ki-"

"Shut up, Malfoy!" she snapped, pulling herself away from me. Finally she met my eyes, but she was glaring at me.

"Ginny, I'm sorry!" I said again, meaning it with every fibre of my being.

"Sorry for what? Sorry that you kissed a silly little blood traitor? Don't act like I'm anything more than that to you, Malfoy! I saw it in your eyes when you broke away- I disgust you!"

"Ginny, that's not true!" I said sharply.

"Of course it's true! I'm nothing to you!" Tears were forming in her beautiful brown eyes now, but I couldn't tell if they were from anger or unhappiness.

"That's not true! And even if it was, why would it matter to you? It's not like I am anything to you either!" I said, bristling at her anger.

"You don't know anything, Malfoy!" she cried, tears now falling down her cheeks. "You don't know bloody _anything!"_

We both stood in silence for a minute as I pondered her words. She continued to glare at me, apparently not aware that she had said anything that could be considered as strange.

"Do I mean something to you, Ginny?" I asked quietly, staring at her.

I knew very suddenly what I wanted to hear. I wanted her to say that yes, yes I did mean something to her. I was not just a Death Eater with an overactive sex life. I was something to her. I wanted her to want me.

"I- does it matter?" she asked, wiping her tears away hastily. "It's not the first time my feelings have been unrequited."

"Feelings? You have feelings for me?" I pressed, determined to get an answer out of her.

"Look, it doesn't matter. Just… just leave me alone from now on, ok?" she said, turning to leave. I quickly reached out, grabbing her arm and holding her there.

"Wait! Wait, Ginny," I said, pulling her around to face me. The mask she always wore was back in place. If it wasn't for her red eyes, you'd never have known anything was wrong. "Can I ask you to meet me later tonight?"

"You can ask," she said, raising an eyebrow.

"Well then, meet up with me later tonight? Room of Requirement?" I said, trying not to sound as though I was desperate- I was Draco Malfoy, for god's sake. I did not do desperate.

"I…"

"After dinner? 7.30?"

"I… I'll see, ok?" she said, and, wrenching herself free from my grip, she began to walk off.

"I'll see you there then, Weasley!" I called after her, smiling in spite of myself.

Ginny-

The day seemed to go very, very slowly. I didn't know if I was actually going to meet up with Draco later. A part of me- a very large part of me- was telling me that it was stupid, that I'd do better to walk away and focus my energies on getting out of Hogwarts and the war alive. However, a very small part of me wanted to go and meet up with him, see what he wanted. Unfortunately, this part seemed to be winning overall.

I was still battling with myself when I went to dinner that night. As I sat beside Neville, I didn't hear his constant attempts to engage me in conversation. I barely knew what I was eating- I merely placed small morsels of food into my mouth every now and again, and then spend the next few minutes struggling to swallow it.

Draco was sitting next to Greengrass, but they were both looking away from each other in stony silence. Zabini, next to Draco, was attempting to make conversation, but Draco didn't seem to be paying attention. His pale cheeks were flushed pink, as though he was excited, or anxious. Maybe both? Was it our possible meeting later on that was causing him to feel like that?

Greengrass looked towards me suddenly, catching my eye. She looked mutinous, and quickly threaded her arm through Draco's, as though claiming him for herself. I rolled my eyes, and looked away, but not before I had seen Draco pull his arm away from her and get to his feet. He glanced at me with a hopeful look on his face before leaving the hall, and, looking down at my watch, I noticed it was already 7.15. I didn't get up. I refused to move.

It wasn't until 7.40 that I made my decision. I got to my feet, apologised to Neville for having to leave him so suddenly, and then walked as casually out of the hall as I could. As soon as I was sure there was no one around however, I broke into a run, sprinting down the corridors until I was there- outside the Room of Requirement. I began to pace in front of the wall, three times, until the door appeared. Taking a deep breath, I pushed on it, and entered the room, unsure of what I would find.

I walked into the room so quietly that Draco didn't notice me at first. He was pacing nervously in front of a very grand looking fireplace, in which was a beautifully warm fire and on which stood a large, old-fashioned clock, which showed the time as now being 7.50. He glanced at the clock every time he passed it. I remained in the shadows, looking around the room. It wasn't particularly big, but there was a large, plush looking sofa, and in the corner, next to a bookshelf full of extremely old looking books, stood a cabinet which contained, from one quick glance, what seemed to be a number of bottles containing different alcoholic drinks.

Draco was still pacing anxiously. I decided to take pity on him, and quietly cleared my throat, making him jump and spin around. He looked at me for a moment, and then, as though unable to help it, he smiled widely, something I had never seen him do before. I didn't smile back, but moved into the firelight, sitting myself down on the sofa.

"I didn't think you were coming," he said quietly, sitting next to me uncertainly.

"Neither did I," I admitted.

We sat in awkward silence for a minute.

"What do you want, anyway?" I asked eventually, unable to take the silence any longer.

"I wanted to talk to you," he said hesitantly.

"Well, go ahead," I said, motioning with a hand that he was to continue.

He didn't say anything, merely looked at me, his large, grey eyes anxious in the soft light from the flames. I refused to meet his gaze, and instead looked into the fire.

"Shall we have a drink?" he asked, nodding towards the drink cabinet.

"Oh, I don't know…" I said uncertainly. Did I really want to be drinking alcohol with him?

"Well, I'm having one," he said, standing up and striding over to the cabinet. Out of it he withdrew a large bottle of Ogden's Best Firewhiskey. He pulled the cork out and took a swig, straight from the bottle.

"Not having a glass?" I asked jokingly.

"Don't see much point," he said, sitting himself back down and taking another swig. He offered the bottle to me, but I shook my head.

"I don't think I should," I said.

"Why? Think I'll take advantage of you if you're drunk? Just have a sip, Weasley, it's good stuff," he said, pushing the bottle into my reluctant hands.

"Really, I don't think I should," I said, handing the bottle back to him.

"Suit yourself," he shrugged, bringing the bottle back up to his lips.

"What did you want to talk about, anyway?" I asked curiously, watching as he drained some more of the amber liquid.

"You said you have feelings for me," he said, looking me dead in the eye. The Firewhiskey seemed to have made him more confident. I blushed.

"I did not, you assumed I do," I said, trying not to get angry.

"Well, do you, or don't you?" he demanded.

"What does it matter?" I snapped.

"It matters because… because it does, alright?"

We fell silent as I contemplated him. Suddenly, a wild thought made itself known to me, and I had voiced it before I had even thought properly about what I was saying.

"Do you have feelings for me?"

Draco choked on the Firewhiskey, and then silence fell again. All that could be heard in the room was the gentle crackling of the fire.

"Draco?" I asked tentatively, breaking him out of his reverie.

"I don't know," he said quickly.

"You don't know?" I asked, confused.

"I don't know if I have feelings for you or not," he admitted, and then he drank deeply from the bottle again.

"How can you not know? You either do or you don't," I said.

"Well… I don't know. Do you have feelings for me?" he demanded again.

"If I answer that, will you give me a real answer, other than 'I don't know'?" I asked.

"'Course I will," he said.

I paused for a moment, then held my hand out.

"Here, give me the bottle," I said resignedly, taking it from him and taking a deep swig from it. It rushed down my throat, burning it but making me feel more confident. "Bit of Dutch Courage," I said, handing it back to him.

"Well?" he asked after a moment.

"Yes," I said quietly, not looking at him.

"What was that?" he asked, cupping his ear with his hand and leaning towards me.

"Yes," I said a bit louder, refusing to look at him.

"Yes what?" he said, and I could hear the smirk in his voice.

"Yes, alright? Yes, I have feelings for you," I admitted, blushing to the roots of my hair, feeling as though I was on fire.

"Hmm," he said, leaning back on the sofa and contemplating me.

"What?" I asked, agonised.

"Nothing," he smirked. He put the Firewhiskey down on a little table next to the sofa, and moved so that he was facing me. "Look at me," he said quietly, when I still refused to look.

"Draco-"

"Ginny, look at me," he said, reaching out and taking hold of my hand. I glanced down, looking at our clasped hands, and then reluctantly looked up at him.

The second I met his eyes, I felt energy surge through me. I bit back the gasp that had almost escaped as I looked into his eyes. He was looking back at me as though he could see right through me, right behind the mask I always wore, and it unnerved me. I fought the urge to look away again, but eventually it overpowered me, and I looked back down at our hands.

"Ginny…" he said quietly, and he moved quickly, so that he was sitting directly next to me, placing my hand on his chest so that it was resting on the buttons of his shirt; I noticed that a couple were undone, and I felt the warmth of his skin under my hand.

He put his hand in my hair, pulling me closer towards him until we were hardly separated. I took a deep breath, and he kissed me. This kiss was different to the one we had shared the previous night; this one was more… well, more. It was deeper, as though he wanted me- as though he _needed_ me. I put my arms around his neck, surrendering to the want I felt, letting him deepen the kiss, running his tongue across my lower lip… he bit it suddenly, making me gasp, and then his lips left mine.

Before I realised what he was doing, his mouth was on my neck, gently kissing from my jaw line down to my shoulder. I could feel so much energy flowing between us that it was all I could do to stop myself from ripping his shirt off- but I didn't need to. He paused for a moment, and I opened my eyes, about to question why he had stopped. My question caught in my throat as I saw him, standing before me, his shirt now discarded on the floor. He was slim, but he had the wiry muscles of a Seeker. He was stunningly pale, as though he never saw sunlight; the only thing marring his otherwise flawless skin was the mark on his left forearm- the Dark Mark. It looked hideous on his skin- it didn't belong there. Before I could dwell on it for more than a moment though, he was kissing me again.

Without knowing how it happened, we were lying on the sofa, entwined, him on top of me, his weight pressing on me pleasantly. He moved slightly, and I gasped again as his erection pushed into my stomach, catching me off guard. He smirked, but it was different to his usual smirks; instead of the taunting smirk that usually flashed across his face, this one was more… teasing. He pulled away from me slightly, and I brought myself up to meet him.

"Do you want me, Ginny?" he whispered, his lips grazing my ear.

I didn't reply, unable to form a coherent word. I merely bucked my hips up to meet his again without meaning to, and he chuckled.

"Do you want me?" he asked again, and he bit my neck, making me jump and let out a small moan. "Is that a yes?" he asked. He was clearly enjoying himself. "Answer me, Ginny," he whispered, and he bit harder onto my neck.

"Yes," I whispered, my voice sounding strange; I sounded excited and yet my voice shook, although I knew it had nothing to do with nerves.

"What was that?" he asked, pressing himself against me so that I could feel his erection again.

"Yes," I said, unable to get my voice to go louder. "Draco… I want you."

"I thought so," he said, sounding triumphant. He pulled himself up off of me, standing with his back to the fire, facing me, as he pulled off his trousers and boxers, which he deposited next to his shirt, and then he slowly began to unbutton my school shirt. I could tell instantly that this was not something that was at all unfamiliar to him. He continued to kiss me as he removed my shirt and threw it down next to his own jumble of clothes.

I had my arms around his neck as soon as my shirt was off, and I was kissing him again, my hands in his platinum hair, pulling tentatively as he bit down on my lip again. Whenever I recalled the scene, even years later, I could not remember him taking the rest of my clothes off. All I know is that suddenly we were both completely naked, our bodies pressed against one another, the warmth coming off of him almost burning my skin.

He continued to tease me further, his skilled mouth moving from my mouth, my neck, he skimmed his tongue over one of my nipples before he bit it, making me moan softly as a surge of energy pulsed through me…

"Draco," I whispered, wanting him to take me then, on that sofa in the Room of Requirement, not a single thought of the consequences passing through my head; I just wanted him, there and then, with all of my body, all of my mind, I knew I had to feel him inside me.

He moved so that he was kissing my neck again, and I moved my hips up to meet his… He pushed me back onto the sofa, smirking again.

"Tell me what you want, Ginny," he whispered, holding himself so that I was unable to move underneath him.

"You," I replied, looking into his incredible grey eyes. "I want you."

It was as though he had been waiting to hear those words, because he smiled suddenly, not a smirk, a real smile. He kissed me gently on the lips, and then quickly, without my realising what he was going to do, he pushed himself into me, making me gasp and dig my nails into his back. It felt incredible, and I brought myself up to meet him, letting him go deeper… our breathing was coming in short, sharp breaths now as he continued to push himself into me, pulling back, and then pushing again, deeper, harder, faster… This wasn't making love, this was fucking- and I was grateful for that.

He suddenly quickened his pace, and I felt myself climbing, could feel myself reaching my climax, but I held onto it, not wanting to yet…

"Let go, Gin," he whispered, biting my neck again. It was too much for me, I couldn't contain it anymore… Not one to be quiet, I let out a ragged scream, feeling him come at the same time that I did… I scraped my nails down his back, and he moaned, pushing harder and faster until-

He collapsed onto me, both of us panting, trying to catch our breath. We didn't move for at least 10 minutes as our breathing gradually became normal again, and then he pushed himself onto his elbows so that he was looking into my eyes. I looked back, both of us smiling at the other. He kissed me softly.

"Ginny…" he said, his expression becoming anxious. "I think… I think I love you."

**A/N: Well, there it is. Took me long enough to get to this point, wouldn't you say? Haha. I hope you liked it, I struggled to write this. I'm not used to writing about this kind of thing (which I'm sure is evident), but hey, I did my best xD. I again apologise for it taking me so long to update. Please review, let me know what you think!**

**Love, Beccari x**


	18. Chapter 18

Draco-

Ginny hadn't spoken to me in over a week. She avoided me in the corridors, refused look in my direction in the hall- it was as though I simply no longer existed to her.

I had realised, the second that the sentence had left my mouth, that I had made a mistake in telling her I loved her. Her brown eyes widened in shock, and she gaped at me rather unattractively. I'd pushed myself off of her quite suddenly, feeling my face flame red, and had quickly dressed myself again. I could hear her getting dressed as well, and when I turned around to try and explain myself, she was already closing the door behind her. I did not return to the common room that night. I remained in the room of requirement, brooding. Honestly, didn't girls _want_ to be told that they were loved right after sex? Isn't that what girls _liked?_ But then, I reasoned with myself, Ginny was not like other girls. Being raised around all of those mangy brothers must have had some effect on her femininity. She just wasn't a normal girl.

Astoria was also ignoring me. She was furious at me for my outburst at the Slytherin table, claiming in loud tones to her friends whenever I was around that she was utterly humiliated by my behaviour. I had tried to reason with her the morning after, but she had stuck her nose in the air and, irritated by her childish behaviour, I had turned and left, and so in a way I suppose I was ignoring her as well.

With just two days before the beginning of the Easter holidays, I found myself sitting alone in the library, trying to complete the homework that had been set for our last day of term. It was not going well; try as I might, I could not describe fully the properties of the Alihotsy plant. Just as I was about to slam the books shut and give up, a familiar redheaded figure wandered into the library. Not noticing me, she sat down at a table near my own, and proceeded to take out some books, parchment and a quill from her bag. She sat stationary for a moment as she pursued the page she needed in one of the books, and then dipped her quill into the ink and began to scribble something down onto the parchment.

I watched her for a while, trying to decide if I should talk to her or not, try and patch up our argument before the holidays started. Yes, I decided- it wouldn't be good if she stewed over what had happened for another 2 weeks before I tried to fix it. Ultimately it would only make it harder. I pushed myself up, gathered my things, and was about to move over to her when someone else entered the library, talking in a false whisper which carried straight to me.

"I mean, his behaviour was just so humiliating! I could not believe it when he spoke to me like that," hissed Astoria. My blood went cold and I froze on the spot.

"It was truly disgraceful, Astoria," agreed one of her friends. "But do not worry, I am sure he will come to his senses."

"Oh, hello, Draco," Astoria said coldly. They seemed to have reached me at last, and I turned on my heel to face them, noticing as I did that Ginny had looked up from her work, her quill poised in mid-air and dripped ink onto her parchment.

"Hello, Astoria," I replied, keeping my tone light. "What brings you to the library? It is very rare to see one of your lot in here."

Astoria went pink, and glanced at her friends, who were likewise turning different shades of red and pink.

"We… er-"

"Homework, is it, Astoria?" I asked, raising my eyebrow, amused at her discomfort.

"Actually, we came to, er-"

"Well come along, I have not got all day. Some of us actually do have homework to do you know," I said calmly.

"We came to talk to you," blurted out one of her friends, and Astoria went fiery red.

"I see. Well, you have my undivided attention. Please, talk away," I said, sitting down and motioning for them to get on with it.

"I do not think you have been treating me at all well, Draco," said Astoria, launching into what I was sure was a rehearsed speece.

"No?" I asked.

"No," she repeated. "Not at all well. As your girlfriend, I-"

"Are you still my girlfriend?" I asked in a bored tone, examining the nails on my left hand.

"Of course I am!" she said, sounding shocked.

"I was under the impression you wanted to call off the whole thing, actually," I said, thoroughly enjoying the look of astonishment that her group were giving me. "Yes, I have been quite upset by it. Still, never mind, my dear, I am sure you have your reasons- after all, if I have not been treating you _at all well_… Well, thank you for clarifying this with me, Astoria, I simply could not have gone another day agonising over our predicament. I am sorry we could not have worked out. I am sure my heart may never repair. Well, goodbye then, Astoria." I was ushering them out of the library now, other students looking up from their work and watching, looks of amusement on some of their faces.

Astoria's group were silent, all looking shocked, whilst Astoria seemed to be grappling with her words, unable to articulate a single sentence.

"Draco- no- not what I- Draco, please- Draco-"

"My dear girl, what is done is done!" I said, trying to sound upset.

"But… I do not want to break up!" she said, turning to face me, eyes wide and moist. "I never want to break up with you! Please, Draco, I am sorry for how I have been behaving, can we not just forget it and… and move on?"

"Well…" I pretended to consider for a moment. "I suppose we can, yes. But please do not treat me in such a manner again, Astoria. It has completely upset me."

"I am sorry, my Draco," she said, throwing her arms around me.

"That is quite alright, my dear. Now, run along. I have homework to do, and I feel in a much better mood to do it now," I said, waving her out of the library. Along with her friends, Astoria left quickly, all of them discussing in hushed voices the conversation that we had just enjoyed. I smirked as they turned a corner and disappeared from sight; I had successfully transferred all blame onto Astoria, and was therefore free from her continued bellyaching about my 'disgraceful behaviour'.

"I saw how you did that," said a quiet voice behind me, and I turned to see Ginny standing nervously, behind me, having abandoned her homework on a table.

"Did what?" I said nonchalantly, not moving.

"You made her apologise for you having a go at her," she said, an odd look on her face, somewhere between amusement and annoyance.

"Yes, well, she is very easy to control," I said shrugging, trying to sound unconcerned.

"You like being able to have control then?" asked Ginny, raising an eyebrow in obvious disdain.

"Wha- no!" I said, realising I had said the wrong thing. "No, not at all! It's just… with Astoria you kind of… you need to have control over her, you know? She would run riot otherwise. Besides, she likes it."

"Yes, I'm sure," said Ginny coldly, and she turned to go back to her table.

"Ginny, wait-" I said, only just stopping myself from reaching out and grabbing her arm to pull her back towards me. She turned just a fraction to show that she was listening. "I am sorry for what I said. In the Room. I should not have said it."

"Shouldn't you?" she said. "Then why did you?"

"I don't know," I said desperately.

"Did you mean it?" she asked, her voice mocking now, whether intentionally or not I did not know.

"I.."

"Did you mean it, Malfoy?" she snapped, turning to face me now.

"I- no," the words were out of my mouth before I could even consider them. "No, I didn't mean it."

Her face betrayed nothing. If she was surprised, shocked, hurt by this information, then not a flicker of these emotions passed across her face. She remained calm.

"Then why did you say it" she asked quietly, staring at me dead in the eyes. I refused to look away.

"Well, isn't that what all girls want to hear?" I asked. I knew instantly that I had once again said the wrong thing. For the tiniest second, something like understanding and hurt crossed her face, and then it was replaced by cold fury.

"Outside, Malfoy. Now," she hissed, grabbing her things and heading towards the exit. I followed her, perplexed. Why did we have to leave the library?

Ginny-

I stormed out of the library, head held high, focusing on getting to the deserted courtyard. It was raining outside, but I ignored this minor fact, not even flinching as I exited the castle and the howl of wind and rain hit my face, cold and wet. When we were a safe distance from the school, I turned suddenly, finding myself almost nose to nose with Malfoy, who seemed to have been following me quite closely. I took a step back.

"Listen here, Malfoy-" I began, but he cut across me.

"Why are we back to surnames now?" he drawled, staring at me in bemusement.

"I do not wish to be on a first name basis with such a low down, pathetic toe rag like yourself!" I snapped, and he took an involuntary step back, staring at me. "Why the hell did you say something like that? Was it just to get me to sleep with you again? Is that all I am to you?"

"What? No, Ginny, you're not-"

"Not what? Not pure-blood enough for you, cause I'm some little blood-traitor? How could you even bring yourself to touch someone as _contaminated-_" I spat the word out through gritted teeth- "as me?"

"Contaminated? No, Ginny, please, listen-"

"Why should I listen to you, Malfoy? Why should I listen to a single word you have to say? You're pathetic, disgusting, treating women like they're just your little toys. I never thought I'd feel sorry for Greengrass, but damn it I do, stuck with someone like you!"

"Someone like me?" said Malfoy, firing up suddenly. "I will have you know, Weaslette, that I am a highly eligible bachelor within the pure-blooded community! You do not get any higher in our ranks than I am! You are lucky I even looked in your direction!"

"Lucky!" I shouted. "Lucky my Aunt Muriel! Don't forget, you were so bloody desperate to get with me that you Imperiused me to get your own way!"

"I Imperiused you because I had to!" shouted Malfoy, his face becoming pink. "I had no other choice but to Imperius you because you would not give me a chance!"

"Why would you even want a chance? I'm a blood-traitor! Nothing to one of your high standards, _oh pure-blooded one -_"

"Shut up!" shouted Malfoy, cutting me off. I stared at him, stunned into silence for a moment. His hair was sopping wet and plastered to his face, his hands were balled into fists, and he was glaring at me with cold fury in his grey eyes, which only a week or so previously had been gazing at me in pretend adoration. "Just shut up, you stupid little girl! You, look at you, standing there, bold as brass, shouting at the last pure member of my family! I had to Imperius you, alright? I had no choice! I did not want a chance, I needed a chance! Do you not understand? He was making me! He told me to! I had to on _His_ orders!"

"He?" I asked, going cold, because I knew who this 'He' was.

Malfoy had frozen. The fire that had lighted his eyes moments before was cooling and dying. He had clearly let the comment about 'He' slip without meaning to.

"I- I- I said nothing," he stuttered, turning to go back into the castle.

"You-Know-Who put you up to this?" I asked, disbelievingly. Why on earth would You-Know-Who put the pure-blood wonder up to sleeping with his enemy's girlfriend? I felt the blood drain from my face. My heart seemed to be pounding in my ears. I suddenly realised. "He… he wanted Harry to find out, didn't he?" I whispered. "He wanted Harry to find out… He wants Harry to give up… He thinks Harry will do, if he has his heart…" I couldn't finish the sentence. My breathing was coming in gasps.

"Yes," said Malfoy coldly, glancing back at me. "Yes, that was His plan. I almost failed in it, as well. However, I have had sex with you now-" he visibly flinched- "So I suppose He will have something to torment Saint Potter with, before his eventual death."

I stumbled, catching myself on the nearest wall and falling down it so that I was sat slumped in the courtyard, rain still pouring. I had betrayed Harry completely, and it wasn't even for someone who liked me- not that that would have made it any better.

"Harry," I whispered, tears now mixing with the rain on my face. Malfoy was still standing, watching me. I glanced up at him just as he arranged his face so that he was gazing at me in disgust. But moments before something else had been there- concern? Regret? No, I was fooling myself. I truly was nothing to him but a mission. And he had completed his mission. You-Know-Who would not be torturing or killing him or his family, because Malfoy was right- now there was something to torture Harry with when they came face to face once more.

"Your help was much appreciated, Weaslette," stated Malfoy quietly, and he turned, heading back up to the castle.

I remained in the courtyard. I couldn't move even if I wanted to. I had thoroughly betrayed Harry, ruined our chances together. When he found out, he would never look at me again. All those years, I'd been so in love with him. The world seemed to be so perfect, even though You-Know-Who was back and Dumbledore was dead, when Harry had held my hand, held me close to him, kissed me… I had forgotten all of that in a moment of drunken passion.

"I… I'm so sorry, Harry," I whispered brokenly.

What had I done?

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who has reviewed, favourited and/or followed up to this point. It always cheers me up to see my work is liked, and I hope you continue. Love, Beccari**


	19. Chapter 19

Draco-

We were going home for the Easter holidays. I had no choice in the matter- I had received an owl from my mother demanding me to return home for the two week break. And so my trunk was packed, my eagle owl was shut in its cage, and I had my travelling cloak secured, ready for the carriages to take us down to the train.

Astoria was looking quite pale and withdrawn. She kept glancing at me from across the common room the night before, and accompanied me down to the Great Hall in the morning in near silence, biting her lip in a nervous and agitated manner. I did not concern myself with her behaviour; the silence was a lot better than having her babble on in my ear about nonsense.

I had not seen Ginny since our argument a couple of days previously. I knew she had been hurt by my outburst, and I was sorry for this. She had riled me so much though, and I had no intentions of trying to mend the rift between us, at least not this term. I tried to remain unconcerned when she failed, both days, to appear in the hall. I tried not to flinch whenever I passed her in the corridors. She was looking even more withdrawn than Astoria. She had dark bags under her eyes, which were bloodshot, and her long red hair was pulled back into a messy pony tail showing that she had clearly ceased to make and effort with her appearance. I wondered vaguely if it was my doing that had caused her to become like this, or if she was worried about Saint Potter.

Finally, after a strained breakfast in which Astoria gazed mournfully at me during the entire thing, we were informed that the carriages would be arriving shortly, and asked to make our way out to the front of the castle to await them. I headed outside with the other Slytherin seventh years, Astoria and her group of friends following closely behind. Although I have no recollection of it, we must have passed Ginny on our way out of the hall, for Astoria suddenly hissed in a delighted tone- "What's got the blood traitor so upset?"

"I heard her and your Draco had an argument!" said one of her friends sounding joyful.

"What?" said Astoria sharply, and I winced. It hadn't occurred to me until that moment that some people would have seen us arguing in the court yard.

I continued to walk, not paying attention to Blaise, who was smirking broadly at me in a highly amused manner, nor to Crabbe and Goyle, who were staring at me dumbfounded, their mouths gaping open slightly; a pathetically unattractive sight.

"Draco? Draco!" Astoria kept hissing my name angrily whilst we waited for the carriages, and I continued to attempt to ignore her. It was only when she punched me in the arm that I decided to acknowledge her.

"Yes, Astoria, darling?" I asked, turning to face her and acting as though I'd only just realised she was there.

"What's going on with you and that Weasley girl? Why have you been arguing?" she demanded, glaring at me furiously.

"Astoria, my dear girl, it was nothing. She merely attempted to insult my father," I said, inventing wildly, "and did not like it in the slightest when I proceeded to insult the entirety of her family, as well as her pathetic boyfriend." The word seemed to sting- _boyfriend…_

Astoria's face immediately brightened up, as did her attitude.

"Oh," she smirked, looking satisfied. "I thought-"

"You thought what? Really, if you can't even trust your own boyfriend, I do not know what to do with you," I said in distain. Astoria failed to pick up on my tone however.

"I can think of a few things," she said, sidling up to me and looking up at me from under her eyelashes.

I stared at her, half amused, half exasperated. She had just had a go at me about getting into an argument with another girl, and now she was coming on to me? I merely smirked at her and returned my attention to the carriages, which had now stopped in front of the castle and collecting people to take them to Hogsmeade station.

"Come on," said Blaise, heading for the nearest carriage, shoving a couple of Hufflepuff second years out of the way as he did, causing them to give amusing squeaks of alarm. Astoria and her friends shrieked with laughter and attempted to pile into our carriage with us, something Pansy strongly disagreed with.

"Get your own carriage, kiddies," she snapped, shoving them back and closing the door in their surprised faces. I tried not to laugh as the carriage moved off and behind us we heard Astoria calling to me, her voice getting ever more distant, until we could no longer hear it at all.

We had a relatively peaceful ride down to the train. It was a relief to not have Astoria clinging to me, and for once I found myself grateful that Pansy was jealous of other girls trying to get close to me.

I was quick to get out of the carriage, heading straight for our own train compartment. I waited until the others were in, and then shut the door hastily behind me, as though I hoped that by doing so Astoria would leave me alone when she eventually boarded the train.

We had a further peaceful ten minutes, and then once more the whine of Astoria's voice reached my ears. I refrained from groaning- just. She peered into the compartment, saw me sitting next to the window, and barged straight in, opening the door with such force that the glass shook.

"What the hell is your problem, Parkinson?" snapped Astoria, rounding on Pansy the second she had entered the carriage.

"Get your own compartment, Greengrass. Seventh years only in here," returned Pansy, all but spitting out her words.

"Draco is my boyfriend! I go where he does!" exclaimed Astoria passionately.

"Well, why don't you ask Draco whether or not he wants you here then?" challenged Pansy furiously. Oh dear.

"Certainly I will!" snapped Astoria, and she turned to face me expectantly.

"Of course you can stay here, Astoria," I said calmly, looking out of the window.

"Oh, Draco!" she exclaimed joyously.

"If," I continued quietly, and I felt the tension rise in the compartment, "if you agree to make your friends go elsewhere. They irritate us."

Silence rang through the compartment. Astoria was staring at me, mouth slightly agape, her friends stood as though frozen outside of the door, and my friends were watching with evident amusement on their faces. Finally, Astoria glanced back at her friends, shrugged apologetically, and settled herself down in the seat next to me, refusing to look at them as they glared at her furiously and stalked off without her.

"Excellent choice, darling," I smirked, kissing her quickly on the cheek. Pansy looked furious, but Blaise, Crabbe and Goyle guffawed loudly, amused by my antics.

Not long after this, the train gave a jerk and began to slowly move away from the station, gradually gathering speed until we were passing through countryside and away from the village of Hogsmeade. Crabbe and Goyle soon began a game of exploding snap, ignoring the disdainful glares shot their way from Blaise, who considered such a game to be childish and beneath them. Pansy stared absently out of the window, trailing her wand in one hand, leaving a trail of glittering silver sparks behind, which faded before one could look at them closely. Astoria continued to gaze at me mournfully, until eventually, annoyed, I decided to speak to her.

"Is there something wrong, Astoria?" I asked quietly, trying to keep the attention of the others away from us.

"Hmm?" said Astoria absently, and then, as though she was snapping out of a trance- "Oh! Oh, Draco! I am just going to miss you so much!" I refrained from raising an eyebrow, but only just.

"It is only two weeks," I said, trying to sound patient, "and I shall write to you."

"You shall?" she said, her face glowing with unsupressed joy.

"Yes," I said grudgingly, attempting to take interest in the countryside flashing past the window.

"Oh, Draco!" she sighed contentedly, resting her head on my shoulder and tracing patterns onto the back of my hand with her fingers. I fought the urge to pull away from her, knowing it would not go down at all well if I did so.

The remainder of the journey passed quietly after that, save for the occasional explosions and cries of either triumph or irritation from Crabbe and Goyle. These I ignored. I also refused to acknowledge the contented little sighs that Astoria gave every so often, reminding me of a particularly irksome cat.

Eventually, the train began to slow. We were nearing Kings Cross. Instantly, I felt my pulse quicken. I could practically hear my heart beat. Up until that point, I had not felt as though I was returning to the Manor. I had felt calm, collected. Now, however, I began to feel nauseous as I considered what was awaiting me at home. I hoped that He had vacated our family home, that he was elsewhere, doing who knew what- anything, just please, I found myself begging inside my head, please let him not be at the Manor. I did not like to think about what he would do when he found out Ginny and I were no longer on speaking terms. I hoped- prayed, even- that having slept with her would be enough to torment Potter with, and would therefore appease Him.

Astoria clutched at my arm, her face looking almost comically devastated. In other circumstances, I may have laughed, but as it was I was too worried about myself to think too much on my petty little girlfriend. I shook her off eventually, kissing her quickly on the mouth and telling her I would write soon, before heading off in the direction of my mother. I knew where she was- her pale blonde hair stood out a mile, but also a large circle had formed around her, as though no one wanted to go too near to her.

"Draco!" she exclaimed, pulling me into her arms and holding me tightly. I wrenched myself free.

"Mother," I replied quietly, straightening the collar of my coat, which she had rumpled in her careless embrace. "I trust you have been well?"

"As well as can be expected," she replied curtly, obviously hurt by my behaviour. "I am glad to see you returned to me in one piece, and without any obvious injuries. Are you well?"

"I am quite well, Mother," I said, taking her by the arm and escorting her towards the barrier.

We passed Ginny and her short, plump mother as we made our way out of the station, and although Ginny was looking resolutely the other way, her face turned red, her eyes brimmed with tears, and I watched as she gave a loud sniff and wiped her nose unattractively on the sleeve of her jumped. I thought once again about the prominence in her behaviour that shown she had been raised around males.

Once outside of the station, my mother held tightly onto my arm and, having sent my belongings on ahead of us, twisted on the spot. The familiar constriction wound itself around my body, threatening to crush the air out of my lungs. Just as it began to feel almost unbearable, it stopped, and I blinked, my eyes focusing on the ominous sight that was our Manor.

"Your father regrets that he will not be with us for a few days yet," said Mother, blanching as she beheld the handsome and yet desolate house before her. "He has been tied up with-ah-work."

"Of course," I replied, sounding unconcerned. "Shall we?" I gestured towards the Manor, and my mother nodded once, quickly, before taking the lead and walking, head held high, through the front grounds of the Manor, her long dress sweeping behind her. If I had not known better, I would have assumed that nothing out of the ordinary was happening in the world, let alone in the house before us.

The second I closed the door, I felt it burn. My Mark suddenly began to burn viciously, causing me to cry out and grasp my arm. My mother looked at me, shock and worry in place of the calm, collected features that had been there moments before. I shook my head at her, gritting my teeth, and she backed away obligingly, allowing me to adjust to the sudden burning on my arm. After a couple of minutes, the burning became bearable, and I glanced up at my mother, who was looking at me with large concerned eyes.

"Where is He?" I asked quietly, and she nodded towards the study. I nodded once and, taking a deep breath, headed towards the study door. I paused outside, waiting…

"Enter," came the cold, high voice from behind the door, and my breath hitched in my throat, nearly making me choke. I managed to stop myself and slowly pushed open the door, stepping into the study that, only a few months previously, had been the scene of my Christmas torture.

Ginny-

"I'll see you after the Easter holidays then?" asked Neville as he hauled his trunk off of the train, hardly even flinching when he accidentally let it slip and it hit his toe.

"Of course," I said regretfully. Never in my life had I wanted to return to Hogwarts less.

"I'll see you in a couple of weeks then," he said, smiling nervously at me. He paused for a second before pulling me into an awkward one armed hug. "Whatever's happened, I hope you feel better soon," he said before releasing me. Giving me one last smile, he pulled his trunk over to where his grandmother was waiting, an incredibly proud look on her face as she beheld the grandson who was giving the less favourable staff of Hogwarts such trouble.

I glanced around and spotted my mum waiting for me, apprehension clear on her worn face. She looked older than when I had last seen her, and she seemed to have lost more weight as well.

"Ginny, darling," she said, sighing in relief as she pulled me into a bone breaking hug. I hugged her back, relieved to be back in my mum's warm embrace.

"Hi, mum," I said softly, smiling at her weakly as she released me and held me at arm's length, looking at me critically.

"You look pale," she admonished, "and far too thin. Have you been eating enough? Have you been sleeping? You have bags under your eyes- are you looking after yourself properly?"

"Yes mum, I'm fine," I said, half-heartedly rolling my eyes.

I glimpsed a flash of pale blond hair out of the corner of my eye, and glanced towards it before I could stop myself. Malfoy and his mother were walking casually and purposefully towards the barrier. As I stared, my heart constricting, my breathing suddenly coming in sharp gasps, Malfoy turned towards me. I turned so quickly I hurt my neck, but I stared resolutely in the opposite direction, ignoring the blush I knew was stealing across my cheeks, refusing to dash away the angry tears that were threatening to fall. He won't get to me, he won't get to me, he won't get to me… I intoned this desperately as we left the platform minutes later, barely hearing a word Mum was saying to me, making noncommittal noises here and there when she paused for breath.

We got another Muggle taxi back to the Burrow, as we had done at Christmas. This time I did not cry though. I held in all of my tumultuous emotions, refusing to let them escape. My nails dug into the palms of my hands, but I ignored the biting sting and stared aimlessly out of the taxi window. We were just arriving home when it began to rain. I stepped out into the gentle downpour, not bothering that I was getting steadily more wet, allowing Mum to hurry me inside whilst Charlie, who was visiting for Easter, brought in my trunk.

Inside was much the same as ever- a little bit cluttered, but cosy. I was home. I sat down at the kitchen table as Mum instantly began fussing about getting me something to eat.

"Bacon? How about an omelette? You have obviously not been eating enough, you're skin and bones, look at you!" said Mum, rushing around the kitchen, waving her wand haphazardly and causing the cheese grater to begin grating a box of eggs.

"Mum-" said Charlie, rushing forwards and stopping the grater before it got to the eggs and made even more of a mess.

"Oh Charlie, I'm sorry, I wasn't paying attention," said Mum absentmindedly.

"Clearly," muttered Charlie, not worrying about her hearing him- she was too busy putting a full pack of bacon on to cook. "So, Gin," said Charlie, sitting down opposite me. "How're you?"

I stared at him for a moment, thinking hard about how to answer him. Finally, I settled for a simple "fine thanks. How're you?" Charlie didn't look convinced, but he answered the question as though he couldn't tell something was wrong with me.

"I'm alright thanks, good to be back home," he said, smiling fondly at the kitchen. "'Course, it's been difficult out there, not going to lie. I miss just working with dragons- trying to get people on board with the Order… well, I think I prefer Norberta." He grinned, and I remembered Ron telling me about the time Hagrid had attempted to raise a baby dragon, Norbert, in his hut in the grounds. Turns out, Norbert was a girl, as Charlie discovered when they'd taken Norberta from Hagrid to live with her own kind.

"Charlie," scolded Mum. "You mustn't talk to Ginny about things like that, she's too young."

"I'm almost of age!" I said, glaring at Mum.

"Almost being the operative word," said Mum, turning her back on me and breaking a couple of eggs into a pan.

"I was in Dumbledore's Army, why can't I know about things in the Order?" I asked indignantly.

"Dumbledore's Army was a teenagers gang," she said calmly, although I could hear the strain under her calm demeanour.

"We fought against the Death Eaters-" I began angrily, but Charlie cut me off.

"Gin, drop it," he advised. "Mum's right, I shouldn't have said anything. How long till bacon's ready, Mum?"

We ate our bacon, eggs, fried bread, tomatoes and beans in silence. I was still angry that I was being kept out of the loop, just because I was only 16. Hadn't I proven I could handle things that the Order dealt with? When I was only 14, I'd fought against the Death Eaters in the Ministry of Magic and escaped with only a broken ankle, for heaven's sake!

But you can't deal with situations, said a little voice at the back of my head. Look at what happened with Dra- with Malfoy, I correctly my thoughts quickly. Look at how badly I had handled that situation. I'd let myself be hoodwinked into a false sense of security- by a Death Eater, of all people. I cursed myself in my head, shovelling bacon into my mouth in an attempt to have something else to focus on. Thankfully, a distraction came in the form of me having tried to put too much bacon into my mouth at once, and I began to choke.

"Ginny!" said Mum, sounding both exasperated and concerned at the same time.

"I'm fine," I gasped, swallowing my mouthful and taking a long drink of juice.

"Honestly, please be more careful," said Mum, shaking her head. "Now, after you've eaten, I want you to head upstairs and get some sleep. You look exhausted."

"But Mum-"

"No, Ginny. You're to go upstairs and get some sleep."

"Yes, Mum," I said quietly.

Ten minutes later, as I lay on my bed, fully dressed and unable to feel even the littlest bit sleepy, I tried hard to keep my mind from wandering onto the subject of Harry. I had given him as little thought as possible these past couple of days, too terrified to consider what he would feel if he ever found out- no, not if, _when_ he found out, because it was definite that he would eventually discover the truth. I shuddered. I'd allowed my mind to wander. Quickly, I refocused it on the poster of the Hollyhead Harpies, watching as they zoomed in and out of the poster on their brooms, sometimes executing perfect tricks. A little while later, I managed to doze off into a fitful sleep.

Somewhere deep in a forest, Harry Potter lay awake in his bunk, staring at the Marauder's Map, the tip of his borrowed wand flickering as he attempted to maintain the spell. It took him a moment to realise why Ginny Weasley was not showing on the map- it must be half term. She would be back at the Burrow. His heart gave a pang. He longed to be back at the Burrow, with Ginny. Yet, he thought suddenly, he had seen a very strange pairing on the map that involved Ginny in recent months. He had frequently seen her in the company of Draco Malfoy. He reflected on how, a week or so previously, he had been watching the map, and had seen Malfoy disappear on the seventh floor- he'd gone into the Room of Requirement, Harry was sure of it. A little later however, he was shocked to see Ginny's dot heading up to the Room and disappearing inside it as well. An hour and a half later, they had emerged, and had gone separate ways. What were they doing? Harry's heart gave another pang, but this time it was not because he was missing one of the only homes he had ever known. No, this time a cold stab of jealousy rent through his heart like an icy knife. He did not understand why- there was no evidence to suggest that Ginny was actually doing anything with Malfoy that would be a cause for him to feel jealous. He should be worried instead- why was Ginny spending so much time in the company of a known Death Eater? What was going on?

**A/N: Thank you so much to everyone who has reviewed, favourited and followed so far, it means so much to me! I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and the little preview into Harry's world as well! **

**Love, Beccari x**


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: This chapter is only from Draco's P.O.V, as there was no need to go into Ginny's due to it having been repetitive and boring, at least for this chapter. My apologies, but I hope you enjoy this chapter anyway!**

Draco-

The silence in the room was louder than anything I had ever encountered. It seemed to reverberate inside my skull; a dull pounding had begun, and I recognised the beginnings of what was sure to be a splendidly horrible headache. I let nothing mar my features. I remained impassive. I showed no weakness.

He sat behind what had once been my father's desk. He was not looking at me. On the contrary, his eyes were closed. He was resting his chin on his long, spidery fingers, which were clasped loosely. Even the great snake, Nagini, made no noise. She resided around her master's neck, contented to simply sit there and watch me with her cold eyes, swaying ever so slightly from side to side.

Finally, without raising his head, without even opening his eyes, he spoke.

"And how was your term, Draco?" he asked, sounding perfectly calm, almost like an uncle, but I caught the threat behind those words, knew what he was really asking of me.

"I succeeded in winning the Weasley girl's heart," I began, trying to sound confident, refusing to wince as a particularly uncomfortable stab of pain drove through my head.

"Excellent," he hissed, sounding so much like his beloved snake. "And yet- something is wrong."

The red eyes snapped open, and before I had a chance to blink, he was standing in front of me, tall, thin, menacing. He was staring deeply into my eyes, and I refused to look away, knowing what would happen if I did- knowing what would happen when he discovered the truth.

I tried to remember Bellatrix's lessons in Occlumency. I tried to block him from my mind, tried to close doors I did not want opened, but he was the most skilled Occlumens the Wizard world had ever known, he broke them down in mere seconds. He was there suddenly, watching my attempts to talk to Ginny, watching and feeling as I had, knowing I had begun to feel more for her than I ever had for Astoria. I suddenly realised where he was nearing- he was about to see us, Ginny and I, in the Room of Requirement, on the sofa… I began to try to fight him off furiously, not caring about the consequences, desperately trying to refuse him access to this most intimate of moments, but to no avail. My body was suddenly burning, and I knew, even though we were both locked in my mind, he was performing the Cruciatus curse on me once again. If I screamed, I never heard it. All I knew was that he was there, in the Room with Ginny and I. I felt his disgust sear through me, nothing compared to the curse, but still there. Then we were in the courtyard, and he was watching us arguing, and he knew that we were no more…

I was on the floor of the study, sweat pouring off of me, my robes wet with it, my hair damp and hanging in my eyes. I tasted blood, and realised I'd bitten my tongue. I spat out the globule of blood, ignoring the fact that I was in my father's prized study.

"So," said the Dark Lord quietly, and I froze, terror gripping me in a way it never had before. "So…"

"My Lord-" I gasped, trying to catch my breath. "My Lord, I can explain…"

"Explain? Explain how you had her in your clutches, how she was yours to manipulate and control, how you could have used her in the mental unhinging of Harry Potter, helped in his impending death, and how you _let her get away from you?"_ he hissed, showing the fury he was so famous for.

I blanched, and struggled to my feet, feeling unsteady as I did so.

"My Lord, I can do nothing but apologise for my blunder… I treated her as I had treated the girls before her; I mistook her for a Slytherin girl, as opposed to the Gryffindor she is… I forgot myself; I forgot whom I was dealing with…" I tried desperately.

"Yes," he said. "That much is obvious. You forgot that you were not dealing with one of the Slytherin girls, who I know from my old school friend's renditions, are surprisingly easy to coerce once you have them in your grip… I know as well as most how difficult any Gryffindor may be- remember, I faced Albus Dumbledore. But the strongest, the most noble of Gryffindor spirits may be broken in time. You should have waited, you should have waited!" He suddenly screamed, and I flinched backwards, hitting the wall behind me.

"My Lord-" I tried again-

"_Crucio!"_ he screamed, and in a flash I was suddenly burning again.

Unable to contain it any longer, I screamed and screamed, more loudly than I ever had before. He continued the curse, never letting it falter for even a second. I was in a familiar place. There it was, the edge, if I jumped off the edge, I would be in sweet, blissful release from this agony… but no, the edge was the edge of my sanity, I must not go there, I must stay away I must- but it was lighter, oh so much lighter, beckoning to me, calling my name softly, like a lover's caress, I moved towards it, feeling a tiny bit less of the pain with every step…

And she was there. Standing just beyond the edge I had to jump off of, standing there beckoning to me, a serene, peaceful smile on her face… she beckoned to me, holding out her hand to take mine, her long, red hair hanging down her back, so smooth, how I longed to run my fingers through her hair… "_Draco…_" she called to me, _"Draco…" _

"_Yes!" _ I called back joyfully, feeling the pain ever less now that I was so near to the edge. _"Yes, my love, I am here!"_

"_Come to me, Draco," _she whispered, smiling at me warmly, kindness shining in her deep, brown eyes. _"Come to me, hold me, be mine… I shall be yours, Draco… just come to me…"_

"_I am coming! I am coming to you, my love! My Ginny, oh, I am coming to you!" _I called desperately- but she was sliding away from me… I was moving backwards from the edge, moving back to the pain, back to sanity- back where she was not… "_Ginny! GINNY!" _I screamed, reaching for her desperately, clawing at the air in front of me.

"_Come to me… come to me, Draco…"_ her voice was becoming further away, more of an echo than reality, nothing more than a figment of my imagination…

"Ginny… Ginny…" I was murmuring, I knew not where I was, but it was warm, and comfortable… I blinked, opening my eyes and gasping as the pain hit me suddenly.

"Draco! Draco, it is alright, I am here," came a voice to my left- the wrong voice. I turned my head slightly and glimpsed the white blonde hair of my mother, who was leaning over me and clutching my hand in hers.

"Mother," I mumbled, my voice catching in my raw throat.

"Finally, you are awake… do you need anything? Water, perhaps? Shall I have one of the elves bring you some up? I did not think you would wake today, else I assure you I would have had some water by your bedside, waiting for you… your father sends his love, he has had to go away again on urgent business, he was here by your side constantly whilst he was at the Manor though-" she continued to babble on in this fashion for some time, whilst I attempted to find my voice again.

"Water," I finally managed to cut across her. "Water…"

"Water! Of course, my child, of course- Hetty! Where is that accursed elf when you need her… Hetty!"

I winced at the loudness of my mother's tone, but she did not notice. Hetty arrived moments later, bearing a tray on which stood a pitcher of water and a glass.

"Set it down on his bedside table Hetty, now!" snapped Mother, motioning towards the cabinet to my right, and Hetty hastened to put down the tray without spilling a single drop.

"Is there anything else Mistress and the young Master Malfoy may require?" squeaked Hetty, her high pitched voice cutting through my like a knife.

"That is all, be gone with you now, get on with cooking for our guests," snapped Mother. "And close the door behind you!"

Once the elf had closed the door quietly behind her, my mother turned back to me. She poured me a glass of water and helped to support my weight whilst I struggled to sit up far enough to take a sip from the glass.

Cold, clear water trickled down my throat, and I suddenly gulped at it with abandon, savouring the fresh taste of it, not noticing as some of it trickled down my chin and onto my bed sheets. Finally, Mother pulled away the glass, and I gasped as I tried to catch my breath.

"What… happened?" I whispered.

"Oh… oh darling…"she whispered, her eyes suddenly brimming with tears. "He… he tortured you until you were almost gone… gone like… like the Longbottom Aurors…"

Terror filled me as I recalled an edge, and a voice calling to me… I had been so close to going this time, so close to letting go of it all and declining into the insanity that gripped so many of the Death Eater's victims.

"When you were almost completely… when you were almost… he called in Bellatrix and myself, and summoned Lucius back to the Manor," she explained, her voice little more than a whisper, her face bloodless and white. "He told us that we had to pay for your mistake as well. As part of our family, you had dishonoured us all… he told each of us to take our wands to you, and to carve the word 'failure' into your skin… we could choose any part of your body we wanted, he said… I refused. Immediately, I refused, and the Cruciatus curse was used on me as well. Lucius was difficult to persuade, but you know how he fears the Dark Lord… he did not wish to, Draco, you know he loves you, you are his only son, his only child, but… the Dark Lord had suffered one too many mistakes at the hands of your father. Lucius, he knew that if he refused, it would be death… so he did as he was bid. Bellatrix- you know how she loves the Dark Lord, how she places him above everyone. When it came to her turn, she did not even hesitate… I shall curse her until the day I die," spat Mother coldly, her face now set into a rigid mask of hatred towards her older sister.

"Where?" I whispered, and she knew immediately what I meant.

"Perhaps it is best if you do not look yet…" she said, trying to get up and move away, but her hand was still in mine. With what little strength I had, I held onto her, and she hesitated.

"Where?" I asked again, more demandingly this time, and she sat back down, a resigned look on her face, one that was mingled with terror.

"Your father's is on your right forearm," she whispered, closing her eyes and placing a hand over them. She had turned faintly green. "Bellatrix's is across your chest…"

I said nothing. I removed my hand from hers, and she knew that I meant for her to leave me alone now. She got up and turned to leave, but when her hand was on the door handle, something occurred to me.

"How long was I unconscious for, Mother?" I asked quietly, my voice still rasping slightly in my sore throat.

"Just… Just over a week," she said, her eyes brimming with tears once more. "You need not return to Hogwarts at the end of this week. You may go back when you feel ready. When you feel strong enough." She exited the room, closing the door silently behind her. I waited until I had heard her descend the stairs, and then slowly pulled back the sheets that were still covering my body.

I rolled up the right sleeve of the silk green pyjamas I had been dressed in, bracing myself to see the word carved into my skin. I winced as the fabric stroked over where the wound obviously was- it still felt fresh. Finally, my sleeve was rolled up to the elbow, and I took a deep breath, stealing myself for what I knew I was about to witness.

Turning my head slightly, I glanced at my arm, and then stared for longer, revulsion rising in me like vomit. I stared and stared. There, carved into my skin, still startlingly red and not even partially healed, was the word 'Failure', in neat little letters- my father's handwriting carved into my arm forever more. In that moment, I hated my father almost as much as I hated my 'Aunty' and our deranged Lord. This thought trigged something in me- I knew I had to look at the word on my chest as well, and I knew it would not be neat like the one on my arm.

This time, I did not take long about it. I unbuttoned the front of my pyjama top as quickly as I could, my numb fingers fumbling with the buttons. When my top was entirely undone, I took another, if not deeper breath, and looked down. This wound was jagged, larger than the other, such a mess that I could have broken down and sobbed. Such a mess of a scar… once the wound finally healed. I knew this was a stupid worry- that the scars would not be anything nice to look at. However, that was all I could comprehend.

I slowly re-buttoned my pyjama top and rolled down the sleeve. Reaching for my glass of water, I gulped down some more, emptying my glass and reaching for more from the pitcher. It was only as I grasped the handle and tried to put it up that I realised the weight was too much for me. I blinked, staring at the pitcher. My wand was nowhere around me. I would have to wait until someone came to check on me to have more water. Sighing, I resigned myself to this long wait, and settled myself back into my pillows.

Sleep stole over my quickly, but it was burdened with excruciating nightmares, and when I woke once more, my sheets were drenched in sweat.

**A/N: I am a dreadful person, leaving you all for so long without an update. I have been in The Gambia for 2 weeks, and sorting out university stuff as well, as I have recently been accepted into Wolverhampton to study Education and English, so it's all been busy, busy, busy! Nevertheless, I hope you will forgive me, and I hope this chapter makes up for me being absent for so long.**

**Love, Beccari x**


	21. Chapter 21

Draco-

"Do you think you are really ready to go back to Hogwarts so soon, darling?" asked my mother, concern clouding her voice and face.

"Of course I am, mother," I said, trying not to wince as I shifted slightly so I could pack my books back into my trunk. I was planning to return to Hogwarts 5 days before the end of the Easter holidays. "And even if I wasn't, I wouldn't stay in this house for another day."

It was reckless, stating this when He was so accomplished at Occlumency, and was currently still residing in the study, but I had become reckless. The torture meant to teach me a lesson had done its job- although I highly doubted that this was the job He had intended it to perform. Instead of feeling more loyal to my 'master' and vowing not to let him down again, I now felt a surge through my veins which compelled me to turn my back on his ideologies. For the first time in my life, I now wanted Potter to defeat Him. I still hated Potter, of course. He was Ginny's love, not me, and I envied him that beyond anything else, but I realised he was the only one who had any hope of defeating Him in the long run.

"Draco," began my mother again, looking at me worriedly. "There is something I have been meaning to discuss with you."

"Yes, mother?" I asked, only half listening.

"You may not recall, but during the last week, we were visited by the Greengrass family," she said.

"I recall," I replied absently.

I remembered lying in bed and hearing the sounds of Astoria and her parents as they wandering into the house and were directed by my mother and father to the drawing room. I had not heard anything then until they left again, 3 hours later, and I was able to discern a happier note in their voices than had been in this house in the past few years. It had intrigued me, but not so much as to bother enquiring of my mother as to why they were here at all.

"Well, we had a little discussion… about you and Astoria."

I stopped what I was doing and turned to face my mother, who was standing by the door, twisting her hands together in an anxious motion, hopeful and worried expressions marring together on her face.

"What about us?" I asked, feeling a cold sense of dread.

"Her parents, Lord and Lady Greengrass, came with a request for a contract," she explained, watching me anxiously.

"What kind of contract?" I asked, my voice sounding hoarse.

"A… marriage contract."

It felt as though a dagger of ice had plunged into my stomach. I staggered to the bed, collapsing on it and wincing as the motions pulled on my barely healed scars. This could not be happening… if my mother was saying what I thought she was then…

"We… Astoria and I… are engaged?" I asked quietly, staring at my mother in desperation, trying to make it seem less real, surely she was joking, she couldn't possibly be serious, she couldn't be…

"Yes darling. You are engaged to be married to Astoria Greengrass on her 18th birthday."

"Her 18th birthday?" I choked, staring in horror at this woman before me, this deceitful, back stabbing woman, who had signed away my life without even bothering to consult me on it in the first place.

"Yes darling. Congratulations!" she offered, smiling warily.

"Congratulations? Congratulations? How about I tell you what you can do with your sodding congratulations! You can take them and stick them up your damn upper class arse! I am NOT marrying Astoria bloody Greengrass!" I said, exploding suddenly.

My mother stood there is shock. I could hardly blame her- I was shocked myself. I had never blown up at my mother, the one person who tried to shield me from the evils of the world, who tried to keep me safe. But she was the same person who had signed me off to some possessive, poisonous little girl, who was only 15 years old!

15 years old…

"I have to marry her in 2 and a half years' time?" I shouted, sudden realisation hitting me hard.

"We… we thought you would be happy, darling… Astoria was very enthusiastic… and she is already your girlfriend, we thought this was what you wanted…" stuttered Mother.

"This was _never_ what I wanted!" I exclaimed furiously, throwing my hands up in exasperation and wincing again. "Never! I cannot stand Astoria Greengrass! I was only with her to disguise my intentions with Ginny Weasley, who, by the way, I was meant to be seducing in order to derail Potter! How am I to seduce her once it gets out that I am _engaged_ to Astoria?"

"There was a feature in the _Prophet_, the day after it was decided. I am sure the blood traitor will have read it by now, Draco," said my mother, suddenly turning cold. "And from what we have gathered here at the Manor, you were not progressing in your mission as you should have been! You were shirking your responsibilities to your master, you were not performing your mission! Your father and I were able to release you of it by announcing that the Greengrass's had put forth a proposal, and your master was delighted at the thought of another pureblood marriage- you are no longer to pursue the Weasley girl, Draco."

"What?" I asked, blinking rapidly. Do not pursue Ginny? How could I not, when whatever feelings I had for her had developed so much over the past year? How could I be expected to smile and be the happy fiancé for the press when I was to marry a woman who I had no care for in the slightest?

"Is there a problem?" demanded my mother, raising an eyebrow at me. "Do not tell me you have come to care for the blood traitor. I shall not have you in this household, nor this family, if that is true. You will marry Astoria Greengrass on her 18th birthday. It is decided, Draco. Now, stop packing your trunk. You will return to Hogwarts at the end of the Easter holidays, as is normal for Hogwarts students, and not before. I do not care if you wish to be in the Manor or not. It is your responsibility to be here. I expect you in the drawing room in ten minutes."

She swept from the room, leaving behind a distinctly cold atmosphere. I recognised defeat when I saw it. She had won this battle- I had no intentions of her winning the war. I would not marry Astoria.

Pulling myself to my feet, I brushed down my casual suit and tried to make my hair look more presentable. I ignored as best I could my haggard, pale reflection and the dark circles under my eyes. I also ignored my half packed trunk on my way to the door, pausing only to retrieve my wand from my bedside table before slamming the door behind me and heading down to the drawing room, where I found my father and mother discussing something in low voices, and my Aunt Bellatrix leaning on the wall by the bookcase, casually flicking her wand at things so that they would catch fire briefly before she put them out, leaving them undamaged.

Bellatrix looked up when I entered. A large, strange smile spread across her dark, heavy features.

"Well, well- Draco!" she said, acting ever the concerned aunt as she swept over to me and put her arms around my shoulders, escorting me to an arm chair by the fire. "Recovered finally? Up and about at long last! How tremendous. I cannot express how truly happy I am at seeing you back in the bosom of your loving family!"

"Aunt Bella," I said, nodding curtly to her and drawing away as best I could before settling uncomfortably in the armchair.

"I hear congratulations are in order, my darling Draco," she said, smiling at me mockingly, her eyes flashing in the firelight. I bit back any retort I had, and instead smiled back at her coldly.

"Thank you, Aunt Bella. I gratefully accept your congratulations, and shall be certain to forward them to my intended upon my return to Hogwarts."

Her facial expression flickered slightly in annoyance, but she maintained the demented smile that she always wore when she was taunting her victims. It was the smile that usually preceded torture and death.

A sudden loud clanging indicated someone was at our door and wanted to come in. All of us froze momentarily in our seats, save for Bellatrix, who jumped to her feet with an excited exclamation of "Shall I get that?"

"No, no, sister, settle yourself back down. I shall get it," said my mother, waving Bellatrix back to her chair and leaving the room- and a very disgruntled Bellatrix- behind her.

Silence was all that remained. I listened to the crackle of the flames as they leapt about the fireplaces before disappearing up the high chimney, and tried not to think of who could have just turned up at the Manor. My question was answered swiftly however, as only five minutes passed before my mother returned to the drawing room, looking pale and scared. Behind her, a group of ragged and dirty men- Snatchers, I assumed, from their appearance- came into view, a bundle of what I guessed were prisoners in their midst. What were they playing at? They took fugitives straight to the Ministry, not brought them to Malfoy Manor!

"**What is this?"** demanded my father, and I turned my attention briefly to him. Both he and Bellatrix had risen from their chairs and were approaching the prisoners and Snatchers with interest.

"**They say they've got Potter,"** replied my mother, her voice cold and haughty. I froze in my seat. Potter? Harry Potter? No… if he was here, then he would never defeat Him… and I would never be freed… **"Draco."** My mother's voice seemed to cut through me like a knife. **"Come here."**

I rose reluctantly from my chair, trying to remain impassive as I moved towards the prisoners, although my mind was reeling.

"**Well, Draco? Is it? Is it Harry Potter?" **asked my father eagerly after I had examined the swollen features beneath me. Whatever had happened during their capture, Potter had been injured in the process- but this was undoubtedly Potter.

_Lie!_ A voice hissed in my brain frantically. _He is your only chance- lie!_

"**I can't… I can't be sure,"** I faltered. I cursed myself inwardly- I had to be more convincing.

"**But look at him carefully, look! Come closer!"** demanded my father, pulling me forwards and placing me so I was directly staring into the swollen, shiny face of my childhood rival.

I stared at him, willing him to look me in the eye, ignoring the passing remarks from my aunt, father and the Snatchers and they debated who would get the most reward from the capture of Potter.

"**Draco, come here, look properly!"** the voice of my father broke me out of my confused thoughts, and I moved so that I was the same height as my father, who was crouched down and examining Potter. **"What do you think?"**

There, on the stretched skin of his forehead, was the overwhelming evidence. The lightning bolt scar, stretched to ripping point by the look of it, but there nonetheless. I tried to think of how to get him out of this, but nothing came to mind, so I simply replied "I don't know," before walking back to the fireplace, where my mother had relocated, letting myself become lost in my thoughts as I tried to figure this out. Occassional remarks broke through my reverie, and I paused only to reply absently.

"**Look, Draco, isn't this the Granger girl?"** demanded my mother.

"**I… maybe… yeah,"** I replied, not hearing what she had said.

"**It's them, Potter's friends- Draco, look at him, isn't it Arthur Weasley's son, what's his name-?"** said my father, sounding gleeful.

"**Yeah," **I replied, only having heard my own name.

"**The Dark Lord must be informed at once!"** shrieked my aunt Bellatrix, pulling back her sleeve and going to press her Mark.

"**I was about to call him!"** exclaimed my father, sounding indignant. **"I shall summon him, Bella, Potter has been brought to my house, and it is therefore upon my authority-"**

"**Your authority!"** laughed my aunt tauntingly. **"You lost your authority when you lost your wand, Lucius! How dare you! Take your hands off me!"**

"**This is nothing to do with you- you did not capture the boy-"**

"**Begging your pardon, Mr Malfoy, but it's us that caught Potter, and it's us that'll be claiming the gold-"** said Greyback suddenly, and I sneered slightly- what did my family need more gold for?

"**Gold! Take your gold, filthy scavenger, what do I want with gold? I seek only the honour of-his-"**

Something strange had happened. My aunt had been cut off mid-jubilance. Something strange had definitely happened. I spun on the spot and saw her gazing, terrified, at something I had only just noticed- hanging by the side of one of the snatchers was a ruby studded sword.

"**STOP!" **she screamed suddenly**. "Do not touch it, we shall all perish if the Dark Lord comes now!... What is it?" **

"**Sword,"** grunted the Snatcher, who, frankly, I was surprised had ever so much as caught a cold in his lifetime, let alone the three biggest fugitives in the country.

"**Give it to me," **demanded my aunt.

"**It's not yorn, Missus, it's mine, I reckon I found it,"** he said, and I winced. Poor brainless idiot- now he was going to pay. Sure enough, a bang, a flash of red light, and he lay upon the floor, stunned. Unfortunately, his cohorts seemed to be just as dim witted.

"**What d'you think you're playing at, woman?"** shouted one, directing his wand at Bellatrix.

"_**Stupefy! Stupefy!"**_ one by one, the Snatchers crumpled, unconscious, to join their friend on the floor. I smirked at their idiocy. The werewolf, Greyback, remained conscious, but held immobile. I watched with something between disgust and fascination- I couldn't decide which.

"**Where did you get this sword?"** demanded Bellatrix, her voice dangerously low.

"**How dare you? Release me, woman!"** snarled the wolf.

"**Where did you find this sword? Snape sent it to my vault in Gringotts!"** She said, her voice echoing the snarl that was in the wolf's.

"**It was in their tent! Release me, I say!" **

Bellatrix removed her wand from him, and he sprang to his feet, gasping and glaring at her, looking furious and indignant.

"**Draco,"** snapped my aunt, and my heart began to hammer against my chest. "**Move this scum outside. If you haven't got the guts to finish them yourself, leave them in the courtyard for me."**

"**Don't you dare speak to Draco like-"** began my mother, sounding indignant, but Bellatrix cut her off with a scream of fury.

"**Be quiet! The situation is graver than you can possibly imagine, Cissy! We have a very serious problem! If it is indeed Potter, he must not be harmed,"** she said, now speaking to herself. **"The Dark Lord wishes to dispose of Potter himself… but if he finds out… I must… I must know… The prisoners must be placed in the cellar, while I think what to do!" **barked Bellatrix, addressing my mother again.

"**This is my house, Bella, you do not give orders in my-"**

"**Do it! You have no idea of the danger we are in!"** shrieked Bellatrix, looking more mad than usual. A slight pause followed her words, and then my mother spoke, tring to remain composed.

"**Take these prisoners down to the cellar, Greyback,"** she commanded the wolf. Before he could move however-

"**Wait. All except… except for the Mudblood,"** said my aunt, and I was able to discern in the light of the fire the insane glint that had entered into her eyes.

"**NO!"** shouted one of the prisoners- I suddenly realised it was indeed Ronald Weasley, and my heart gave a lurch as my thoughts wandered momentarily back to his younger sister- "**You can have me, keep me!"**

Brave, I thought- or just stupid. He was, after all, a Gryffindor, and they were not known for their brain power. All except Granger, I thought, feeling the slight bitter pang of jealousy that had so long plagued me during our school years together.

"**If she dies under questioning, I'll take you next!"** declared Bellatrix. **"Blood traitor is next to Mudblood in my book. Take them downstairs, Greyback, and make sure they are secure, but do nothing more to them-"** a slight pause, and a manic smile spread once more across my aunt's face, as she added- **"yet."**

Throwing back the wolf's wand, she cut loose the brown haired girl- yes, definitely Granger, upon closer inspection- and dragged her by her hair into the middle of the room. Greyback forced the other prisoners out into the hallway, his wand held out in front of him.

"Now," said Bellatrix, turning her gaze on Granger, who sat cowering in the middle of the drawing room floor, her hands still tied behind her back, her head bent so that her bushy hair covered her face. "Let's have a little chat- girl to girl."

She advanced on her, knife and wand held before her in a threatening gesture. I turned my back and gazed down into the flickering flames. I had no wish to watch this.

**A/N: I am so sorry for not updating in such a long time, you must all hate me! I've been struggling to settle into university life for the past couple of months, and the work load has been such that I haven't found time to write recently. I hope this chapter makes up for my disgraceful negligence over the past couple of months. Once again, it is only in Draco's point of view, as Ginny's is not really needed at this point. **

**Disclaimer- this chapter includes a lot of writing which is not my own, and was taken straight from J.K.R's 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows'. The writing not belonging to me has been put in bold.**

**Thank you all for reading, as always please R&R, and I'll try and update more quickly next time!**

**-Beccari xx**


	22. Chapter 22

Ginny-

"What do you mean, I can't go back to Hogwarts?" I asked, staring at my parents who were in such a state of complete distress that it looked as though they were going to pass out.

"I heard, whilst I was at work- but how? _How?_" muttered Dad, obvious terror crossing his face.

"What's going on?" I demanded. "Why can't I go back to Hogwarts? What's happened?"

"Ginny… darling… although perhaps it would be best if your brothers were here as well… Arthur, call Fred and George, I'll do the rest," said Mum, and she stumbled quickly from the living room, followed by Dad, so that I was left sitting alone.

I reflected on what had happened in the last half an hour that had led to me sitting by myself whilst my parents rounded up the family. Dad had arrived home far too early, indicating immediately that something was very wrong. Mum had then called me downstairs and told me that I was to pack my things and that I would not be returning to Hogwarts. And now they were getting my brothers together so that they could tell us, as a whole, what was happening.

It was only 5 minutes before I heard the tell-tale noise of people flooing into the house, and immediately began to panic. No one flooed to the house anymore, it was too dangerous. Whatever had happened had clearly blown any other danger out of the water, if it meant that my brothers were allowed to floo back into the house.

"What's going on?" demanded one of them- Fred or George, by the sounds of it.

"Yeah, why have we been called away from business? What's happened, Dad?" said the other twin.

"Go and wait in the living room- Ginny's already there, your mother is getting the others using the fireplace in the bedroom- go!" he demanded, and I soon found myself joined by Fred and George, a twin on either side of me.

"Do you know what's going on, Gin?" asked Fred, who was looking pale.

"If I knew, I'd tell you," I replied, shrugging half-heartedly.

"We were able to floo back to the house," muttered George thoughtfully. "Something bad has happened."

Fred nodded in agreement. Even though I was beginning to feel as though my heart was in my mouth, I couldn't help thinking about how strange it was to see them again. They were dressed in smart, dragon skin jackets, which was different enough, but both had the same worried, thoughtful expressions on their faces that I had rarely seen.

It was only another 5 minutes before the rest of our brothers- minus Ron, I thought with the slight twinge of worry that always accompanied any thoughts of the trio, and also Percy, although I felt no concern for him- had flooed into the house and were in the living room. Bill, along with Fleur, were standing in the corner, heads together as they whispered in an agitated manner; Charlie was pacing back and forth in front of the bookcase that was barely holding together and contained a great many damaged, second-hand books; Fred and George were continuing to consider the matter with looks of great thoughtfulness. I was sitting quietly in an arm chair, waiting for Mum to come back and explain what was going on. Dad was already present, and was wringing his hands in front of him.

"Molly!" he shouted eventually, panic on his face. Mum came running into the room, her face flushed. She'd been crying.

"Mum, what's happened?" demanded Charlie, stopping his pacing and rushing up to Mum, grasping her hands in his and leading her to a chair, into which she collapsed.

"There has been an… incident… involving Ron," said Dad, his face white and sweaty.

I stopped breathing. We all stared at Dad in horror as Mum burst into waves of fresh tears.

"We don't want you to worry. But we have had news that he is being held at Malfoy Manor, along with Harry and Hermione. You had to know," said Dad quietly. "We must leave immediately. For too long we have stayed here whilst putting it about that Ron's ill. We've spoken to Aunt Muriel, and she is willing to let us move in with her. I want all of you to pack your things. We're leaving in 10 minutes."

We stared at our dad for a moment, trying to comprehend. It felt very much as though my lungs were filled with water- I felt at any moment that I would begin choking. Fred and George were looking thoroughly bemused, clearly unable to absorb the information. Charlie was still holding onto Mum's hands, his face white, his eyes staring, whilst Bill was holding Fleur to his chest as she clung to him desperately.

"Now!" shouted Dad suddenly, and we all jumped, getting to our feet and rushing around in an attempt to get everything we needed.

"We're going back to Shell Cottage," said Bill quietly to Dad. "It's one of the safe houses, we can't abandon it. Ron knows where it is- if they need a place to get away to, to lie low for a while, he'll probably try to come to us. We need to be there in case he does."

"Of course," said Dad, embracing Bill and Fleur in a quick, one armed hug. "Look after yourselves. Let us know whenever you can how you are- but _be careful!_"

I was jumping up the stairs two at a time. I slammed into my room, throwing random items into my school trunk which had been standing open so that I could re-pack it for Hogwarts. Now, I would never see the castle again. In its present state, something like relief seemed to spread through me, but it was still mingled with a feeling of mourning. I wouldn't get to say goodbye to Neville or try and help with Dumbledore's Army any more- although, it occurred to me suddenly, I had been so wrapped up in my own head the past few months that even when I had been at Hogwarts, I had been of very little help to Neville. Guilt surged through me, until the tumult of emotions raging through me threatened to reduce me to hysterics.

I was curled on the floor, gasping for breath, when the door flew open. Fred and George were standing in the doorway, staring at me in concern.

"Come on, Gin," said George, striding confidently forwards and pulling me upright. "Everything's gunna be fine. You know what Ron and the others are like- they always get themselves out of these things."

"Yeah, they'll be fine," said Fred, in what he clearly thought was a winning tone. "Have you packed everything?"

"I- I think so," I stammered, trying to catch my breath.

"Come on then, we can't stay here," said Fred, closing my trunk and pulling it off of the bed.

"Think you can stand on your own, Gin?" asked George.

"Yeah," I said, although I wasn't entirely sure.

"C'mon then," said George, taking my arm and gently pulling me towards the door. "We better get going."

One last glance around my room, and then we were running down the stairs. We had hardly gotten back into the kitchen than Mum pulled me to her side and turned on the spot, forcing me into the dark, constricting tunnel of Apparition, pulling me away from my home, the place I had grown up, and dragging me off into even more uncertainty that we were already living through.

Draco-

The Slytherin common room was buzzing with activity, much like usual. I was sat alone in a corner, trying to avoid the prying eyes that sort me out. I was sick of hiding in my bedroom- since coming back to Hogwarts a week ago that had seemed to be the only place I ever was- so I had ventured down into the common room for once. Blaise was nowhere to be seen. I assumed he was out with some girl, probably a little Slytherin fifth year, knowing his taste.

The noise suddenly seemed to permeate my bubble, breaking through my barriers with such force that I jumped. Someone was standing over me, a sixth year I recognised although not by name. I looked up to him as snidely as I could.

"Yes?" I sneered.

"Your family is a disgrace," hissed the sixth year. "You let Potter slip through your fingers!"

"How dare you?" I snarled, jumping to my feet. "How dare you talk like that about my family? The Malfoy family?"

"The great Malfoy family- how the mighty have fallen," he sneered.

The common room was silent now- every head had turned to watch the sixth year and myself.

"Who _are_ you?" I demanded, glaring coldly at him.

"What does that have to do with you? You have no authority anymore, Malfoy. You and your family are done. I'm surprised you were even let out of your _manor_ to come back to Hogwarts."

"You little-"

"Darling! My darling, do not respond to it, do not rise!" counselled Astoria, who had appeared suddenly at my side.

"Not now, Astoria," I snapped.

"Now, don't talk to your _fiancée_ like that," sniggered one of the sixth year's friends.

"She's no- I mean… don't you even mention my… my fiancée," I struggled, trying to overcome the faux-pas of nearly denying Astoria as my fiancée. Such a mistake would only cause me more grief that I needed.

"I'll do what I want. Like he said, you and your family are done," laughed the friend.

I swung for him, fighting Muggle style in my fury, punching him square on the nose. I felt it crack under my knuckles. It seemed as though hell broke loose, although I, having lived through hell every day at the manor, knew that it could have been so much worse. This was merely a small amount of chaos- the sixth year and his friends attempted to launch themselves towards me, although a quick flick of my wrist ensured that a shield charm was cast so that they merely rebounded and fell in a confused heap on the floor. Surrounding people were either laughing or swearing, all of them shouting loudly.

"Excuse me," I said quietly to Astoria, moving her aside and heading to the door. "I need some privacy."

"Let me come too, darling," simpered Astoria.

"You realise what privacy means?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Of course, but you are my fiancé now. We can go and have some privacy together. Come, Draco," she said, taking my hand and pulling me almost roughly towards the door.

I followed, not that I had too much choice in the matter; Astoria's grip was vice-like upon my hand, I could feel it beginning to go numb in her gasp.

"Here's a nice place to be private," she said smugly, opening the door to one of the castle's larger broom cupboards and pulling me inside behind her.

"Lovely," I said, my tone practically dripping in sarcasm.

"You know you love it," she said, turning to me with what I assume she thought was a seductive look on her face. I struggled to keep my face blank- I was aching to raise an eyebrow at her in scorn.

"Why don't we get you out of those old robes?" she practically purred.

"I think not," I said, backing away slightly.

"Come now, Draco," she said, putting. "Am I not allowed to see my husband-to-be's body?"

"Certainly not," I said sternly, although I was beginning to panic. No one had seen my body since before my Aunt's knife had scrawled across it, leaving a ragged, untidy scar that still clearly spelt out 'Failure'.

"Draco," she pouted, moving towards me, slowly taking off her own robe and letting it fall to the floor.

"Astoria, no. Put your robe back on, for heaven's sake," I said, hearing the panic in my voice now.

"What's wrong, Draco? You used to enjoy our little excursions from the common room," said Astoria, staring at me in hurt bewilderment.

"I just… I don't feel like it today," I said wildly.

"You don't _feel like it_? Since when did Draco Malfoy not _feel like it_?" she questioned, looking disbelieving now. "Have I done something wrong?"

"Of course not, I just-"

"Is it because I'm not a blood traitor?" she demanded suddenly, making me freeze. I stared at her.

"What on earth do you mean?" I asked, my mouth feeling dry.

"I know about the Weasley girl, Draco, she said coldly. "My mother told me, before we became legally engaged- when our parents were still arranging the contract. Apparently, your mother deemed it only right that my family know what was going on, so that I would not be 'offended' when we came back to Hogwarts and you continued to court _her_."

"I… I don't know-"

"Do not lie to me, Draco! I know you were seeing her as well as me, I know that now. I have decided to forgive you because I know yu had no choice. However, she is no longer here, Draco. No one knows where she's gone- she's just gone. Why are you still pining over such a pathetic little wisp of a girl when you could have _me?_ When you _do_ have me?"

"I am not pining over her-"

"Then come to me, Draco," said Astoria, smiling warmly and holding out her arms to me.

"No, Astoria! I do not want to remove my robes, all right? Something… something happened, and I do not wish for you to see it."

Astoria stared at me with calculating eyes for a moment, before moving tentatively towards me and placing a hand gently on my arm.

"I know about what your aunty did to you," she said quietly. I flinched, pulled myself away from her.

"What? Did my damned mother tell you everything?" I snapped.

"It's ok, Draco. I don't like that you have the scars, but I love you all the same," she said, attempting to sound reassuring.

We stared at each other for a few minutes longer, her hand extended towards me slightly, hoping that I would return to her embrace. But I could not. She was the wrong person. I did not want her comforting me. I wanted someone else.

"I don't feel like it tonight, Astoria. I'm sorry," I said, kissing her on the top of her head and turning to leave the cupboard.

"Yes, dear," she whispered behind me, sounding hurt.

"I'll see you back at the common room later," I said without turning around.

I did not return to the common room that evening. I stayed in a disused classroom until the early hours of the morning, thinking about where Ginny was, hoping that she was ok. Because there was no point denying it to myself now. She was the one I had dreamt about in my unconscious state. Hers was the first name I uttered upon coming back to life. She was who I loved. She was not mine, never would be mine, but I loved her one the less, and I was doomed, doomed to marry Astoria.

Astoria was someone who I had always dreamt I would marry. A pretty girl from a respectable, wealthy, pure blood family. But it was not Astoria I wanted now. Instead I wanted a girl who, although attractive was not the most attractive young woman I had seen, nor was she the richest- indeed, the Weasley's ad little to no money to speak of. They were hardly a respectable family either, blood traitors, all of them. And then there was the issue of Potter.

There was always the issue of Potter.

**A/N: This has to be the longest I have ever one without updating, and I am so sorry. Life has been incredibly hectic recently, I've been in hospital a couple of times and have been struggling to keep up with my university work, not to mention the number of issues my damn laptop has suddenly decided to develop. I apologise for the state of this chapter, I know it isn't one of my best, but I hope you enjoy it anyway **

**Love, Beccari x**


	23. Chapter 23

Ginny-

I woke suddenly in the tiny, cramped attic room I had had to sleep in since moving in with Aunt Muriel a few months ago. Something seemed wrong- something seemed almost out of place. I glanced around noticing that the room was brighter than it should have been for the hour of night that it was. Curious, I climbed out of bed, and attempted to find the source of the light.

After several minutes of searching and no luck, I decided it would be best to go back to bed and try to get back to sleep. I was so tired. It had been the first time in a long time that I had been having a dreamless sleep, and I was annoyed at the mysterious light for having woken me. Just as I was turning back to the bed, my eye was caught by something which had rolled under the tiny, battered chest of drawers that now held my belongings. I bent down and reached for the something, trying to determine what it was, as it was definitely from this source that the light emanated, that much was obvious now.

Finally my hand stumbled across the object, which felt hot to the touch, and I pulled it out and sat staring at it with ever increasing wonder and fear- the Galleon Hermione had given to every member of the DA in my fourth year was active again. The message was clear- Harry was back at Hogwarts. They were getting ready to fight.

I don't know how long I sat on the floor staring at the Galleon, but I knew it couldn't have been more than 5 minutes. Finally, I managed to regain feeling in my limbs, and pushed myself off the floor with such speed that my head began to spin. Regardless, I quickly dressed and grabbed my wand, the Galleon safely in my pocket, before running down the rickety stairs to Fred and George's bedroom.

Bursting into the room, I saw Fred and George sit up abruptly in bed, almost in exact unison, much like they usually did everything, and blink blearily at me.

"S'going on?" mumbled Fred. "S'happened?"

"The Galleons!" I gasped, sagging onto the end of George's bed.

"Galleons?" asked George, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"From the DA, the ones Hermione gave us- look!" I pulled mine out and handed it to George, who stared at it in a confused way for a moment, before giving a surprised yelp and staring at Fred with wide, excited eyes.

"Harry's back at Hogwarts!" said George.

The effect of this sentence caused Fred to tumble from his bed in his hurry to get himself dressed and ready. When both he and George were standing, dressed in Muggle clothes with their wands clutched in their hands, the three of us bolted from the room and ran down the rest of the stairs to the living room, where Mum, Dad and Aunt Muriel were convened.

"Children!" said Mum, sounding startled. "You're supposed to be in bed! What on earth are you playing at?"

"It's Harry, mum!" said George.

"Harry? What about Harry?" said Dad, suddenly sounding urgent.

"Harry, and no doubt Ron and Hermione, have gone back to Hogwarts!" I said.

"The message says they're preparing to fight!" finished Fred breathlessly.

"Message? What message would this be?" asked Aunt Muriel, looking alarmed by our news. "No one is able to contact this house unless they bring the message here directly, which they can only do if they know where we are. So do tell, what message?"

"There isn't time to explain! We have to get to Hogwarts!" snapped George, trying to pull Mum to her feet.

At that moment, a patronus burst through the window and landed in front of Dad. It was a fox, and when it spoke it did so with the Irish twang of Seamus Finnigan.

"Harry has come back to Hogwarts. We are preparing to fight. All members of the Order of the Phoenix should apparate directly into Aberforth's pub, the Hogs Head in Hogsmeade. He will guide you from there. Come quickly."

The fox vanished in a wisp of smoke, but not before Dad was on his feet.

"All right, kids, we're going to Hogwarts. But you three _stay here_ with Muriel. I don't want you getting yourselves hurt," he said, his gaze drifting onto George's missing ear.

"You can't make us stay here!" snapped George. "We're of age, me and Fred, we can fight!"

"Boy's right, Arthur. Can't stop them fighting if they want to. They're of age," said Aunt Muriel, looking at her great-nephews with something close to admiration on her face. "Braver lads I never knew- let them go."

"What about me?" I demanded furiously. "You can't leave me here, not knowing what's happening- all of my family and friends will be there, all of them!"

"Ginny, this matter is not open for discussion. Right, quickly, we need to get outside the perimeter before we can apparate," said Mum, pulling on her cardigan and looking at Dad with fear in her eyes.

"You can't stop me!" I shouted. "Just because I'm not of age- I'm a part of Dumbledore's Army, I held my own against the Death Eaters all damn year, and I'm not staying here!"

"Oh for heaven's sake- fine, come if you must, but you remain where we tell you to, do you understand?" snapped Dad, taking hold of my wrist and dragging me to the door.

"I understand," I said, my fingers crossed in my pocket.

"Good luck!" called Aunt Muriel behind us. "I'd come along, but you know- I'm a hundred and seven years old!"

**A/N: Well, it's almost time for the Battle of Hogwarts! I hope you guys are ready for it! Also, I hope you enjoyed this little pre-battle chapter, I felt it needed something to ease the story into it rather than just charging full steam ahead into a raging battle. As ever, please R&R, favourite, follow- you lovely people now the drill!**

**Love, Beccari x**


	24. Chapter 24

Draco-

Everything was a blur. One moment, silence emanated throughout the castle, as I stared across the dark, foggy grounds. Next, there came an almost undetected sound- those sleeping would never have been woken from it. I, however, was not sleeping, and was able to hear and understand the sound clearly. Someone had broken curfew in Hogsmeade. The Catter-Waling charm had been activated.

Initially, I rolled my eyes, not bothering to think too much about it. Some idiot down in the village had stuck their nose out of their front door; they had set off the charm by accident. No doubt they would be being punished for it that very moment. Then a thought struck me. No one would be stupid enough to set off the charm, not with Death Eaters patrolling everywhere and Dementors only minutes away should they be called. No one would risk their life just for a peak outside the door. Which made me think- had something important happened? Was something important going to happen? What was happening down in the village at that very moment?

Suspicions aroused, I quickly woke Blaise, who until that point had been snoring in his bed, curtains partially drawn, a foot sticking out of the covers. No bad dreams to plague him, to keep him awake at night like they did me; that much was sure.

"What's going on?" he asked groggily as I shook him roughly by the shoulder.

"Someone set off the Catter-Waling charm in Hogsmeade," I hissed urgently. "Can't you hear it?"

"What does it matter? Just some stupid Mudblood pissing around," he grumbled, pulling the cover up over his head.

I wrenched the sheets back again, causing him to give a yelp of surprise and outrage.

"What're you playing at? It's the middle of the night!" he snapped, not bothering to keep his voice down. Two beds over, Crabbe stirred sleepily, turning over on his side- we hadn't woken him.

"The charm has been set off, do you really think anyone is that stupid to set it off when there's Death Eaters and Dementors wandering around the streets?" I replied angrily, keeping a hold on his covers in case he tried to hide under them again.

"So someone's got a death wish. What's it to do with us? Go back to bed, Draco, for God's sake," he said, just as angrily.

"It's not just someone with a death wish," I insisted. "Something is going to happen tonight, I know it is!"

"Oh good lord, now he's psychic," mumbled Blaise sarcastically, succeeding in wrenching his blankets back from me. "Leave me alone. If it's anything important, Snape will wake us."

I shoved him hard on the shoulder, then turned and went back to the window. The charm had stopped. From this distance, I could see the layer of fog become denser where the village must be- Dementors had been released into the streets. A flash of silver- the fog dissipated slightly. I watched intently, furious I couldn't see more of what was going on. If only our bedrooms had been in the towers, like the Ravenclaw's were, I'd have been able to see better.

No more than 10 minutes passed. Suddenly, Snape's voice rang out across the dormitory, jarring everyone to their senses within seconds.

"All students report to the Great Hall immediately. Any late comers will be punished. Any absent students will be punished. The Great Hall. Immediately."

"Told you Snape would wake us," grumbled Blaise irritably.

"Told you something was going on," I retorted, pulling on my robes and grabbing my wand.

"What's going on?" mumbled Crabbe stupidly, whilst Goyle stood rubbing his eyes with a ham-like fist.

"Are you deaf?" demanded Blaise, in a foul mood from being woken up. "Snape wants us in the Hall. Something must have happened. Draco said curfew was broken in the village not long ago."

"We're being dragged out of bed because of some stupid Mudbloods?" yawned Crabbe.

Blaise and I exchanged an exasperated look.

"Do you honestly think that Snape would be calling us down to the Great Hall in the middle of the night just because of some stupid Mudbloods?" I snapped as I pulled my robes over my head and grabbed my wand from under my pillow.

Pulling my shoes on, I quickly strode from the room, Blaise close on my heels, his own wand tucked up his sleeve. Mumbling dejectedly, Crabbe and Goyle followed, narrowly missing falling out of the door as they came face to face with the other Slytherin boys as they made their own ways out of their dormitories.

-o=o-

It couldn't have been more than half an hour, but it seemed to drag on for an eternity. When we were finally all gathered in the Hall, Snape still proceeded to pace backwards and forwards in an agitated manner, his billowing robes making him reminiscent of a large bat. I watched him silently as the Hall buzzed with the whispers of the hundreds of Hogwarts students. Crabbe and Goyle still muttered next to me, but Blaise was equally attentive towards our headmaster, his eyes following Snape as he moved from one side of the Hall to the other.

Finally, Snape stopped. He stood directly in the middle of the Hall, his hands behind his back, his eyes staring at each house in turn. Silence followed as quickly as Snape had stopped. Every eye was on him. The students waited, and as I glanced around, I could see the looks of panic that were on almost every face in there- every face except for my fellow Slytherins, who were watching Snape with eager expressions.

Snape begin to talk. And as he did, the expressions turned from panic to complete shock. Some looked hopeful; some looked more frightened than they had before. No one spoke, not even a whispered comment to their neighbours. Everyone was stood deadly still. Everyone was silent as Snape explained.

Harry Potter was back.

Ginny-

He was already there when we arrived. Fred and George led the way into the Room, which was overly crowded with students from every house except Slytherin. And there, stood in the middle, was Harry.

I stared at him for what felt like forever, and he stared back, an expression of such confusion on his face that for a moment I was unable to register anything else. But then the moment passed, and I began to notice other things. He was thin- much thinner than when he had departed The Burrow all those months ago. He seemed to have ages several years. He had burns covering him from head to toe. None of this mattered. He was there.

"Harry…" I managed to get out, before my throat closed off and no more words would come.

"Typical," someone muttered, and I looked over to see Ron standing closely to Hermione. "She hasn't seen me in months! I'm only her _brother_!"

"Yeah but she has loads of those doesn't she?" joked someone else, and I saw Seamus grinning from ear to ear as he took in the sight of Harry, Ron and Hermione as well. "There's only one Harry."

Then everyone fell quiet. Harry was talking, telling us how he needed to find something that had belonged to Ravenclaw, that he thought was hidden inside the castle. Ron and Hermione watched him as he talked, and there seemed to be a new aspect in their friendship. Whereas before they had always seemed on par with each other in terms of importance in their trio, it was clear Ron and Hermione now saw Harry as a leader of sorts. He was still their best friend- that much was obvious. But he was something else as well.

"I need to go to Ravenclaw tower," stated Harry.

"I'll take you," offered Cho, and I glared at her as I realised how she was talking to him.

"Luna can show you. Can't you, Luna?" I said quickly, cutting off anything else Cho might have wished to offer Harry.

"Oh yes," said Luna dreamily. "I'd be happy to."

And so they set off. Once Harry was gone, all of the light in the room seemed to fade. There was so much movement, but everything seemed to be in slow motion. I couldn't seem to focus my attention on anything other than that Harry was here, he was _here_, he'd been within touching distance… but now that he was gone, everything came flooding back. What I'd done with Draco… what would happen when Harry found out…

'But wait,' a little voice seemed to say. 'Aren't you forgetting something? Harry being back can only mean one thing. There's going to be a fight- tonight. He Who Must Not Be Named is coming. The problem is not if Harry finds out- it's if he makes it through the night.'

I suddenly snapped back to reality. This was a war. I could not let my petty little girl problems get in the way of how this night would unfold. I had a part to play in the fighting that was coming. Whether my family liked it or not, I would be involved. I would fight for the freedom of our world and I _would_ be alive at the end of it, me, my family, my friends- Harry. We would come through this, but not if I wasn't focused. If I remained so caught up in my own private, insignificant world, I would not make it through the night.

All of these thoughts whistled through my head at break-neck speed, and I found myself standing outside the Room of Requirement with my brothers, who were arguing with our parents about if they were going to join the fight or not.

Students were flooding past us as they made their way into the Room, shepherded by professors who were trying to evacuate them all before the fighting began. We stood slightly back from them, in our own family discussion.

"We can't stop them, Molly. They're of age," Dad was saying.

"I'm fighting too!" I said suddenly, causing them all to stare at me.

"No, Ginny. Not a chance!" said Mum firmly.

"I can fight too!" I argued. "I'm a member of Dumbledore's Army, same as Fred and George!"

"A teenager's gang!" said Mum shrilly. "I won't allow it! Go back to Aunt Muriel's, now!"

"And wait to see if my family lives through the night? You can't make me!" I shouted.

"She's right, dear," said Dad resignedly.

"Right?!" shrieked Mum.

"We can't make her stay at Muriel's. But your mother's right as well, Ginny. You aren't to fight. You must stay here, in the Room of Requirement. Do you understand?"

"No! I'm fighting too!" I argued.

"No Ginny! Either you stay in the Room, or you go back to Muriel's. Those are your choices, do you understand?" said Dad firmly, and I knew the argument wouldn't turn in my favour.

"I'll stay in the Room," I grumbled angrily- let them go, and then I would sneak out and join the fight later.

"What are we waiting for then?" asked Fred eagerly.

"Let's go!" said George, grinning at his twin in anticipation.

_CRASH!_

We all started at the sudden explosion that had sounded from below.

"It's time," said Dad solemnly. "Go back into the Room, Ginny."

They turned and sprinted off, wands out, robes flying behind them. I remained behind. I went back into the Room of Requirement, which was eerily still now that there weren't several dozen students packed into it and the last of the students had been evacuated from the castle and the last of the fighters had arrived through the tunnel from the Aberforth's pub in Hogsmeade.

Another series of crashes echoed around the room from the floors below. Shouts and screams suddenly rent the air.

The battle had begun.

**A/N:**

**I realise I haven't updated this in over a year and I cannot begin to apologise enough. I needed a break from writing this, and once I stopped writing it became really hard to get back into it again. I promise to try and update more regularly now that we're almost at the end of the story. I hope this chapter partially makes up for my year long absence, and I hope I still have some readers for this story!**

**Love, Beccari x**


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